I don’t mean to stare and I’m not even in the mood to smile back, but I do. How could I not?
“Hey, you and I are missing the same tooth.” The girl points to the gap in her mouth at the same exact spot where I just lost my tooth last week.
“Cool.” I grab her hand and stand back up, clutching my broken glasses in my hand.
“Yeah, it is cool,” she says and it’s like it becomes true somehow. Like, if she said anything at all she could make it cool. “I’m Lily.” She walks me to my desk. “Just ignore Donnie. Everyone knows he’s like that because he’s in third grade and still can’t tie his own shoes,” she says loudly and the class laughs again.
I sit in my seat just at Miss Calypso comes back in holding my file folder in her hand.
“Calm down, class! It’s not a party. Sit in your seats properly and get your notebooks out.”
Lily is back in her seat, right next to me. Sitting next to her, it makes me feel all bubbly inside. It’s weird. Then again, I might be getting the flu. I’m not sure.
As the teacher instructs us to write two pages about what Thanksgiving means to us, I get to work, happy to bury myself in a dumb assignment and try to forget being tripped. I don’t even want to think about how Mom is going to react when she sees my glasses.
“Psst!”
Lily taps her pencil against her notebook where she wrote me a message. Hang out at recess?
I nod eagerly, grateful. The true meaning of Thanksgiving washes over me as I start printing out my work because I’m so completely thankful that I’ve found my first friend here.
Chapter 2 - Jace (Age 14)
“Hey, remember how I was totally sweating that whole ‘climb the rope thing’ in gym? Well, who has two thumbs and made it up to the flag?” I strut over to Lily’s locker where she’s grabbing her books from inside and shoving them into her backpack. She doesn’t look up or smile, but that’s okay. I’m walking on a cloud right now. I didn’t think I had any hope in hell of getting up that rope. I mean, I’ve been watching it dangling from the ceiling all school year. Taunting me. Its flag flapping from side to side, almost as high up and as untouchable as the flags planted at the top of Everest.
“This guy!” I jump around the metal barrier of her locker door and swing my thumbs wildly at my chest as I give Lily a big, goofy grin. A grin that immediately fades, sliding down off my face like a snowboarder wiping out down a diamond level slope. “Whoa, what’s wrong?”
I immediately hunch over and grab her by the shoulders as Lily sniffles. Tears slick her cheeks like water running in one of those fountains you see in the mall that people toss money into in some kind of strange attempt to buy a wish. Like, sacrificing loose change to the gods of capitalism will fix their lives somehow.
“Nothing.” She turns her face away from me and her shoulders shake hard as she does a terrible job of hiding her sobs from me. Oh God, someone must have died. This is exactly how my mother reacted when she found out that Dad passed.
“Don’t do that.” I grab her and look into her red-rimmed eyes. “Tell me what happened,” I demand.
Lily looks down but doesn’t try to turn away this time. “It’s just Josh.” Her voice cracks as she mentions her meathead boyfriend’s name. I set my teeth on edge. It’s no secret that Josh Ramsay and I don’t like each other. I’ve never understood this phase Lily seems to be going through or what the hell she sees in him. However, for the sake of our friendship, I’ve mostly kept it to myself.
I never even told her about the time he cornered me at the party she had while her parents were out of town for a wedding. My mind flashes back to that night and I almost gag on the not-so-distant smell of his alcohol infused breath.
“Hey, Jake, c’mere, man. I wanna talk to ya.” He threw his arm around my neck and pulled me toward him. His body odor climbed up my nostrils as he held me tight in a headlock.
“It’s Jace.” I tried to push him off me but only succeeded in putting a little space between us, not breaking his hold on me in the slightest.
“Sure, man, whatever.” Josh waved off my correction with his free hand. “Hey, so I notice you and my girlfriend like to hang out an awful lot, man. Is there, uh, something you wanna tell me about that?” He pulled me back in toward him and levelled me with his eyes.
“Not really, Josh. Why, are you feeling threatened?” I challenged him, jutting out my jaw the best I could.
“Threatened? God, why don’t you talk normal? You’re such a geek, man!” He drunkenly laughed in my face. “Why on earth would I ever feel ‘threatened’ by you? Do you, like, have a mirror, four-eyes? Besides, the way I figure it, you’re probably some kind of fag anyway, aren’t ya?”
My eyes narrowed and I tried to stand up straighter, but carrying the weight of a drunk jock across your shoulders can really beat you down. My nostrils flared and my blood started pounding hard in my ears. Not because he was calling me gay, but because of how he was saying it. Not that he could tell the difference.
“Oh, I didn’t know you had the ability to think about anything, Josh. That’s really great to hear, bud. So, why is it you rubbed two brain cells together and came up with the idea that I’m gay? Just wishful thinking?” I yanked his arm off of me at last and stood up taller.
“Ha-ha,” he deadpanned. “No, nothing like that. The way I see it”—he stepped in closer, breathing his alcoholic cloud over my face—“you’re either a faggot or you’re sitting around jerking it like some loser while you think about my girl.” He pressed his finger into my chest. “And either way, you’re out here chasing some kind of ass that you shouldn’t be. So, if I were you, I’d back off, man,” he growled.
We stared at each other. It felt like it went on forever. It felt like the entire party must have noticed our little showdown, but no one did. Then, he burped loudly, blew it in my face, and walked away.
I never told Lily. Not because I wanted to hide how much of a douche her boyfriend was. But because he was partially right. I haven’t always just wanted to be friends with my supposed BFF. And that’s not a conversation I want to have with her. Not now. Maybe not ever.
“What did he do?” I shake her shoulders and try to get her to look at me with those copper eyes. The ones that were once so full of joy. The ones that were always so carefree. Until she became his girlfriend.
“He…he…” She sniffles. “He told everyone on the football team that we had sex.” She breaks down, sobbing.
I feel like I just swallowed a brick. And then someone hit me in the gut with a sledgehammer and shattered it into a billion pieces.
Fuck.
“Did…uh…” I rub my hand down the side of my face and my glasses tilt down. “Did you guys?” I don’t really want to know. I mean, I do. But not if they did. I know Lily is going to have sex someday. I’m not an idiot. However, Josh Ramsay doesn’t deserve her. Not even one little piece of her. Especially not that.
“No! We didn’t,” she cries. “He’s tried, like a million times, and every time I’ve shut it down. I keep telling him I’m not ready. And, like, he’s usually been so cool about it. At least I thought he was, but he’s told everyone he’s fucked me and my reputation is totally ruined now.” She wipes her face with the back of her hand, but fresh tears paint her cheeks immediately. “I’m so stupid,” she cries.
“Shhh, no, you’re not.” I hold her close and let her cry out her pain on my shoulder. Her tears soak the fabric of my shirt, but I don’t care. The only thing I can think about is how to destroy Josh.
I glance up and see him down the hallway. He’s hanging out like King Shit of Turd Island, laughing about something with other guys from the team. Anger boils up in my guts. I know I’m not really a superhero. Sure, my mom used to say I was like Superman a long time ago to make me feel better about my glasses, but I know I’m just a nerd. However, as the anger grows and builds into rage—I mean, I’m not turning green and bursting through my shirt or anything—I feel I can take on the worl
d right now. Or at least one person in it.
I narrow my eyes on Josh and stand up slowly, jutting out my jaw and lowering my head as my fists clench tight by my sides. I don’t really think. I just run down the hall, full speed, and race up beside him. I can feel the eyes of his group of jock friends on me, but I ignore them all. I ignore even the fear that’s trying to keep me alive rising up in my mind. Instead, I grab Josh’s coat and punch him across the face with everything I have.
He’s completely stunned for a second, but then cocks his fist and punches me hard in the gut. I double over, struggling to breathe, and he laughs. They all do. Donnie, Josh, all those guys. He starts to walk away when I manage to get myself back upright and I run at him again, pushing him from behind with everything I have.
To my surprise, Josh falls over and before he has a chance to react in any way, I jump on him. All my anger, all my denial about my feelings for Lily, all my frustration erupt to the surface as I punch Josh over and over. He tries to roll from under me, but I dig my heels in at his sides and won’t let him shake me off.
“Tell them!” I scream, my voice echoing off the school halls. “Tell them you lied, you fucking piece of shit. You never slept with her. Fucking tell them.” I keep punching. Josh’s face splits open in the spots I hit him. Blood spills over his cheeks like crimson tears to match the real tears he made Lily cry.
“Get off me!” he yells, but I don’t. I won’t. I can’t stop hitting him. Even though my arms are getting tired. I just can’t stop.
“Not until you tell them.” I fight him. With everything I have, I fight him.
“Fuck, whatever, I didn’t fuck her. Who cares? Why do you even fucking care, huh? You think she’s gonna sleep with you now?” He heaves me over, toppling me from where I was straddling him, and I can see his blood streaked over his face. I know he’s about to break my body, but I don’t care. I made him say it. That’s all that matters.
Josh lifts his meaty hand, pulls it back into a big fist, and I squeeze my eyes shut.
“All right, break it up!” I can hear a teacher yelling down the hall. The next thing I know we’re being pulled apart and the crowd that I didn’t even realize had circled around us starts to scatter.
“Josh Ramsay, Jace Mathers! Both of you report to the principal’s office now! You’re going to be facing suspension for this one, boys.” The teacher shoves us through the crowd and I smile. I don’t care that my mom’s gonna kill me later. I’ll deal with that. All I care about is that I made him tell that truth and restored Lily’s reputation.
Chapter 3 - Lily (Present Day)
I look down at my grilled chicken Asian salad and sigh, hovering my fork over it, but not having the energy or the will to actually stab some of the nutritious vegetables in the bowl and pop them into my mouth. I don’t want this crap. Why did I order it?
“Why didn’t you just get the BLT meal? I know that’s what you really wanted.” Jace shakes his head knowingly across the table at me. He’s right. But I’ll never tell him that. Never.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I lift a forkful of salad slaw and edamame beans and smile like I’m on a commercial for the new McDonald’s salads or something. “This is exactly what I wanted,” I lie and take a bite.
Jace guffaws and pushes his glasses up his nose. It makes me think of when I first met him and he had to wear thick-rimmed glasses that were taped together in the middle for almost all of grade three. Poor guy. He’s come a long way since then. He’s no longer the gangly kid with the crooked smile and corduroy pants.
Now he’s grown up, filled out…in the best way. His rippling muscles flex under his tight Marvel shirt and the sleeves of tattoos he has of comic book characters perfectly hug the bulging curves of his cut biceps. Even his glasses are all grown up now. The wire-rimmed frames he wears now have just a tiny hint of blue in them that seems to make the gun-metal gray of his eyes shine bright.
“It’s not funny.” I pout and look sadly down at my salad. “You know I’m trying to eat healthier. We should just stop coming to McDonald’s.”
“Here”—he slides his box of fries over to me—“take these. I’ll switch you for the salad.”
I can’t help but smile. How does he know me so well? I mean, I know how. We’ve been best friends for sixteen years. I know him just as well as he knows me. Still, there’s something so nice about being completely understood and accepted by someone.
Jace has seen me through my worst days. He was the one holding back my hair the first time I got stupid drunk and spent the rest of the party puking. He was there when my prom date decided to go home with Christy Blake, leaving me heartbroken in my silver prom dress and teal corsage. He’s always been there. For the good times too. I’ve laughed so hard with Jace that I’ve snorted juice out of my nose and had tears streaming down my face. He’s always been the perfect guy.
I mean, perfect friend.
I happily enjoy the salty goodness of the fries and sink back into the bench seat, relaxing. It’s nice that we still make so much time for each other. I know it won’t always be this way. Someday we’ll both get married. Maybe have kids. Go in different directions. Sadness rises up inside me and I push it back down. That day isn’t today.
I’m not going to worry about that right now.
Bloop-ding!
“I think your phone is beckoning you.” Jace nods down at my bag on the seat beside me and I absentmindedly reach inside without looking. My hand wraps around the cool, curved edges and I pull it out.
“It’s Parker.” I smile at the screen but think… did I just see Jace cringe? I push the thought aside and stare down at my screen. “He must be texting about our date tonight.” I swipe my thumb across the glass and my face drops as the words written on the screen register in my mind.
“What is it?” Jace immediately knows something is up.
“Nothing, he, uh.” I swallow hard and look up at my best friend. “He doesn’t want to see me anymore.” I drop the phone back into my bag and try not to let the humiliating and rude rejection eat me up inside.
I will not cry over this. I will not shed a fucking tear for a man who thinks it’s acceptable to break up with someone through text. No way. Yet, even as I tell myself the words, my eyes line up and my vision gets blurry.
“Nope, this isn’t happening. If that douchebag didn’t know how lucky he was to have you, then that’s on him.” Jace reaches across the table and grasps my hand in his. “I’m not going to let you go home and drown yourself in a pint of Ben and Jerry’s, okay? If you want ice cream, you can have some at my place because tonight is gonna be a movie night.” He sounds so excited about it. Like he’s genuinely happy to watch the same movies with me over and over again, like we always do.
“I dunno.” I pick up another fry and shrug. “I don’t think I’d be very good company tonight.”
Jace locks his eyes on mine and the intensity in them sends a long shiver down my spine. When did he get hot? It was so gradual that I barely noticed it happening. Then, bam, one day he was no longer a skinny nerd. Just a hot guy with beautiful eyes and dark, wavy hair.
“You’re always good company. Come on, let me cheer you up. Really, you’re doing me a favor,” he pleads. “I’ve got nothing to do tonight anyway. Why should we spend Friday night alone and watching movies in our own apartments? Together is always better.” He smiles and suddenly I don’t feel the sting of rejection from Parker anymore.
“You’re right,” I agree with a real smile tugging on the corners of my mouth. “What movie do you want to watch?”
“The original Superman?” He tilts his head slightly.
“Let’s do it.”
Chapter 4 - Lily
“All right! We’ve got some popcorn!” Jace nods down to the bowl on the coffee table.
“With extra butter?”
“But of course.” He smiles. “And we’ve got some ice cream in the freezer. Your favorite flavor.” He points toward h
is fridge.
“Cherry Garcia?” My mouth waters just at the thought.
“C’mon, I ain’t no amateur. Yes, it’s Cherry Garcia.” He shakes his head like I’ve insulted him. “Finally, we’ve got a fine selection of sodas for you to choose from tonight.” He changes his voice like he’s a waiter informing me about the house wine. “Root Beer, Cream Soda, and Pepsi.” His eyes twinkle at me and I can’t help but grin back.
“I’ve heard the Root Beer is a very good vintage. I’ll have that, please.” I laugh as Jace shuffles into the kitchen and fills a couple glasses with ice and soda for us.
As he walks back into the living room, I don’t mean to let my eyes travel over him. I swear, I’ve never been one to really check him out. Not because he isn’t hot. Nothing like that. But, because he’s strictly and 100 percent off-limits. I would never want to lose what I have with him just to find out what it would be like to give in to desires. It’s not worth it.
Still, as he bends over and gently places our glasses on the table, I can’t help but gaze over the firm curve of his ass and then over to the bulge between his legs. I stop myself and immediately force my eyes away, shocked by the wave of need that just crashed inside me.
“We’re all set.” I try to make my strained voice sound normal and act normal. Not like I was just checking out my best friend’s cock.
“Good, let’s get this par-tay started.” Jace plops down on the couch next to me and lifts up the remote, starting the movie.
As the opening credits fill the screen, I look over at him. The way his barely-there scruff kisses the defined ridge of his jaw, it looks so…masculine. So…sexy.
“What’s up?” He catches me staring at him and locks me down with those gun-metal gray eyes again, but this time it makes me feel kind of squirmy. I mean, I’d be lying if I said I’ve never gone through phases like this before in our friendship. I’ve noticed Jace grow from a small boy into a sexy man, and sometimes my body has reacted to that…a lot. However, I’ve always pushed it away. Done what’s best for this friendship rather than giving into, or even admitting my needs.
Hot, Quick & Dirty: 12 Steamy Short Stories Page 8
