by C. Shell
I scrunch up my eyebrows at him. “I might’ve acted on instinct instead of planning it out the way you would, but trust me when I say she enjoyed it. You heard her yourself, and don’t act like you didn’t smell her arousal because that shit was so fragrant; I’m still jacking off every night from the memory of it.” I pause in my rant and make sure I have his attention. “At no time did I treat her like a whore. I would never do that, and you of all fucking people should know that about me.”
Nate ducks his head and rubs the back of his neck before taking a seat on the bench. He twists his lips as he gives me a half-smile. “Sorry man. I shouldn’t have accused you of that. I’m trying to be reasonable, but it’s hard to keep my head on straight right now. Hearing the two of you screwed with my head. I let my jealousy get the best of me. I promise not to let it happen again.”
Everyone has always thought that Nate, Jimmie, and I banded together because we lived on the same street and played with each other as kids, but that is only half of what forged our alliance. Nate and I both have fathers who rather work eighty hours a week then spend time at home playing house. Our mothers became best friends and after a handful of playdates, we founded a friendship on total honesty and a blood oath to protect each other at all costs. When Jimmie moved onto our street sporting a family life similar to ours, it was only natural to befriend him. Addison was a bonus neither of us expected.
No matter how bad a day I have or who is gunning to beat my ass, I always know Nate and Jimmie have my back. They are my family in the true sense of the word. If I'm acting like a prick, they will be there to straighten me out. If someone has the balls to mess with me, they’ll step up, no questions asked, and help me put them in their place. It’s a promise we gave each other when we were too young to even understood what it all really meant, but it’s the chief ingredient that cemented our friendship for the long haul.
So when Nate promised to keep his feelings for Addy at bay, I knew it was as good as done. It also means that I had better get my act together and work things out with her because I know he wasn’t lying about stepping in and picking up the pieces when I fuck it up. Unfortunately, fucking things up is one of my specialties.
I nod and give his shoulder a hard pat. “I guess I better go see Coach and see what’s got his panties in a twist. Are we still having dinner at Jimmie’s tonight?”
“Hell yeah. We’re running out of time to get that deadbeat dad of theirs out of town. He’s already filled Jimmie’s head with the notion of spending the whole summer together and doing fatherly things like fishing and hunting. I don’t trust the guy as far as I can throw him. Been doing some research on him and nothing I find about him looks good.”
I spin around and throw him a worried glance. “What do you mean?”
“The man’s got two pending cases against him. One for business fraud and the other for sexual harassment with a young college intern. In my opinion, he’s nothing but pond scum. We need to start laying the groundwork down so we expose him for who he really is or come this summer, Jimmie will be gone.”
I swipe a hand down my face as a harsh growl vibrates from my throat. “This shit sucks. We just can’t seem to catch a break these days. I’ll press Addy and see if I can find out anything else about dear old David.” I grab my bag and continue out and sling my hand up in a sloppy salute as I leave. My voice echoes down the hall as I speak. “See you tonight man.”
Leaving the locker room corridor, I stroll down the short hall beside the gym to our Coach’s office. With the door already wide open, I decide to skip the formalities and walk straight inside without knocking. Coach Gillman sits behind his old desk; a stack of papers in his hand and his head bent as he observes whatever’s written on them.
“Shut the door and take a seat,” Coach barks, his head never lifting from the papers before him. “Next time I ask for you, don’t take so damn long. I’m not getting any younger you know.”
I shut the door behind me and take the only ratty seat available. Coach leans back in his chair, and his hawk-like eyes land on me. I hold his gaze. “What’s up?” I ask.
“Is something going on with Jimmie that I should be concerned with?” He cocks his head and studies me hard and long. Coach is a good guy. He’s one of the few teachers in the school who doesn’t put up with our shit. As irritating as that can be at times, it has also earned him our respect. He takes soccer seriously and pushes us to play at our best. His concern over Jimmie is noted and appreciated.
Coach doesn’t see us outside of school hours so whatever he’s noticing, it’s happening on the field. My warped curiosity forces me to inquire, “Why do you ask?”
“His technique has been slipping. His block is sloppy, and he seems preoccupied more than not. If he doesn’t get it together by next game time, I can’t guarantee that he’ll be a part of the starting line-up.”
I shrug, pretending that everything he’s saying isn’t a bit deal, when in fact, it is. Hell, it's huge. Every game from now until the end of our Senior season counts toward us getting a full scholarship. College scouts will be at our games, and we can’t fuck it up now, not even a little bit. Jimmie getting benched could screw with his overall points.
I decide to throw Coach a bone. “His dad is in town. They’ve never had much of a relationship, and I think the newness of it all might be getting to him. Nate and I’ll have a word with him.”
“Fine.” He nods and then points to the door. “Good talk. Now, go take a shower. You’re stinking up my office.”
I frown as I glance down at the sweat stains soaking through my shirt. With an unsettling sigh, I stand and turn to leave. “See you tomorrow, Coach,” I call out over my shoulder. Coach answers with a single grunt.
I glance at the clock above the door on my way out and head straight to my car, knowing I won’t have time to jump in the shower before I get home. I’ve got a paper to write for English, and I promised my mom that I would mow the yard before going to Jimmie’s tonight. Too much shit to do and not enough time to get it all done. That seems to be the story of my life these days.
Exiting the school, I yank out my cell phone and send a text to Nate, letting him know what Coach said about Jimmie. My phone beeps back right away with a response.
Nate: We begin fixing this shit tonight. It won’t be easy, but nothing important ever is.
Dex: Got chores to do first. Mom’s been on my case lately. Meet you there at six.
As I round the corner and stalk across the partially filled parking lot, my smile falls flat. My eyes narrow, and my blood boils as I take sight of the person across the parking lot. After the crappy ass day, I’ve had this is the last thing I needed. A vein throbbed in my temple signaling that I’m close to losing my shit. Leaning against my truck and acting like she belonged there is no other than fucking, Lacey Devon. I swear this day just keeps getting shittier by the minute.
Some girls I just don’t get. I’ve been nothing but brutally honest with Lacey, letting her know from the start that she and I will never be more than frequent fuck buddies, and yet, the girl keeps coming back for more. She’s a glutton for punishment. I’ve slept with more than half of her friends since we started hooking up, and if I remember correctly, one of them joined us for a threesome at a party by the lake. I could never take a girl such as her seriously. If she can’t respect herself enough to keep her legs closed to any guy that looks her way, then why in the hell does she think I would?
Arriving at my truck, I hold up a hand to keep her away before she can pounce and latch her greedy hands on me. “First off, you need to get off my truck. I just had it cleaned for crying out loud.” I pause and wait until she takes a step away. Once I’m pleased with the amount of distance she is from me and my property, I continue. “Secondly, I told you we were through, so what the fuck are you doing here, Lacey?”
She licks her painted up lips and gives me a saucy smile. “You haven’t been returning my calls or texts. You owe me an orgasm Dex, and I�
��m ready for you to pay up.” Her eyes lazily travel straight to my crouch and stops. A week ago I would be throwing her in the cab of my truck and making good on her offer. That will never happen again. Lacey is dead to me. Now that things between Addison and I have jumped that curb of friendship into something more, I’m not going to mess it up with a cheap lay. Addison is the only girl for me. My dick is even on board with this logic. All the tits and ass Lacey has on display has yet to awaken my one-eyed monster.
“Not happening.” I hiss.
She blinks up at in alarm. From the blank look on her face, I think she’s having a hard time processing my words. I dismiss her and fish out my keys so I can get the hell out of here. Stepping to the side, Lacey juts out a hip and gives me a pointed look. No longer trying to seduce me, her lustful eyes turn hard. My blood slows at the hateful glare she shoots my way.
“We have an arrangement, Dex. I don’t recall us ending it, so why don’t you try and explain to me what you mean by ‘not happening’?”
I meet her glare head on and return it tenfold. Being tactful is for the weak. I tried to be tasteful with ending things between us, but dammit, Lacey keeps pushing me to do it the hard way.
I’ve never been one to turn down a challenge, so let’s do this.
“Our arrangement is over. Are you so dense that I need to spell it out for you? O-V-E-R! I won’t be touching you again.” I step forward, wrap a hand around the back of her neck, and squeeze it in warning. “When you see me in the halls, turn and look the other way. I don’t want anything you have to offer. Find someone else to fill your loose cunt because my dick is off the menu. You’re no longer on my radar. As far as I’m concerned, you don’t exist.”
Lacey swallows hard. I smile at the way she fidgets under the pressure I’m applying to her neck. With a smirk, I release her and turn to unlock my door. I’m half-way in my truck when she slams a hand onto the top of my door and yanks it open further.
Our narrowed eyes meet. “No one’s stupid enough to cross me, Dex. I know you’re doing this because of Addison.” She’s seething as she speaks. The venom in her voice makes my spine go stiff. “She won’t be able to get you off the way I can. She’s too sweet and innocent. I doubt she even knows how to give a blow-job.” She lets out a bitter laugh. “You’ll be back in my bed soon enough, and if you’re not, I’ll make that bitch pay. You’ll regret walking away from me, Dex.”
I’m visibly shaking as I watch her stomp across the parking lot. The cunt fucking threatened Addison. My Jelly Bean. She wants revenge on a member of my group, and that can’t happen. If she were a boy, I would’ve chased him down and beat the shit out of him until he submitted and learned his lesson. But I can’t do that to a girl, not even one that deserves it. Without a plan in place, and a way to protect Addison from the fallout, Lacey’s reckoning will have to wait.
Chapter Eleven
Addison
Six cups. Six plates. Six sets of silverware.
I count each place setting once more willing my eyesight to stop playing tricks on me. One, two, three, four, five, six. After my encounter with Dex this morning, I was relieved that the rest of my day was drama free. I showed up to lunch expecting him to embarrass me. I could barely eat for all the nervous butterflies filling my belly. He and Nate sat all cool and relaxed while I resembled a prickly porcupine waiting to be attacked. Besides stealing my pickles off my burger and asking about some English homework we both have, he left me alone.
“Why are you staring at the dining table like it might bite you?” Jimmie’s amused voice floats in from behind me. He passes into the kitchen and goes about making himself a glass of iced tea. I grimace at the amount of sugar he adds to it. I don’t understand how a person who consumes so much junk food can stay so damn fit. It’s incredibly not fair.
“You’ve been acting weird for several days now. It is that time of the month or is something else bothering you?”
I feel my eyes rolling before I can stop them. “Why are you inquiring about my time of the month? News flash brother, guys don’t ask a girl about their monthly cycle. Bodily fluids are not a topic I feel like sharing with you or anyone else for that matter.”
Jimmie’s smile disappears, and he turns giving me a serious look. “You’re deflecting. Whatever it is, it can’t be that bad. Is someone at school bothering you?” I glance heavenward and shake my head as I search for a comeback, something to throw him off my trail, but my muddled mind is coming up empty.
“We don’t keep secrets,” Jimmie warns, his voice sounding too darn hard for a boy his age. The following silence is heavy. I remain closed lip as my brother glares at me. It feels like we’re playing a new version of The Quiet game, one where the first person who speaks not only loses but has to come clean and tell their secrets.
My body visibly sighs with relief when the doorbell rings, effectively interrupting our standoff. I can lie to my mother every day of the week, but my brother is an entirely different story. I’ve always blamed it on us being twins.
I scamper out of the room and yank the front door open. Upon seeing Dex and Nate standing there, smiling and looking way hotter than should be allowed, I immediately wish I had gone over to Cammy’s house for the night. As if a cloud had lifted, the number of place settings on the table suddenly make perfect sense. Nate and Dex eat at our house quite often, at least, they did until my dad showed up. They’ve never held back their resentment over his sudden involvement in our life. I know my reasons for distrusting my dad, but I can’t understand theirs. A dinner with all us crammed around one table. This should be fun.
I white-knuckle the door as I plaster a fake smile on my face. My stupid stomach flutters wildly with nervous tension. Hysterical laughter bubbles up the back of my throat, but I swallow it down. I lean against the open door and try to appear casual and aloof. “Let me guess. You came to join us for a nice family dinner.”
“As always,” Nate responds with a curt nod. His eyes crinkle at the corners as he looks me over. “Are you going to let us in or are you planning to make us eat out here on the front porch?”
My cheeks flood with heat. “Sorry about that,” I mumble. Stepping aside, I wave them in and shut the door behind them. Jimmie greets them in the foyer and before I can say anything else, my parents descend the stairs. Being the gracious woman my Mom is, she is quick to usher everyone into the dining room while running to the kitchen to gather everyone a drink.
“Your dad cooked for us all tonight,” Mom says as we all take a seat. With dad in the mix, our standard seating arrangement is messed up. Instead of being between mom and Jimmie, I end up squished between Jimmie and Dex with Nate directly across from me. Lucky me.
I lean into Jimmie and whisper so only he can hear. “Why is dad cooking for us? Doesn’t he have better things to do?
“Like what?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. Like maybe packing up his shit and running back home to his future bride?”
Jimmie shoots me a murderous glare. “Mom said he enjoys cooking and wanted to show his appreciation to her for letting him stay here with us.”
As if on cue, my father enters the room with a large casserole dish in his hands. “I hope everyone is hungry. When your mother informed me that we’d be having guests tonight, I went a little overboard and cooked enough to feed a small army.”
“It smells lovely, David,” Mom replies with a gracious smile.
I roll my eyes in annoyance. I’m still astonished at how cool she’s being about him staying with us. From the stories I’ve heard from friends, I was under the impression that divorced parents ignored and mostly hated each other. Apparently, mine missed that memo. From the day he showed up, my mom has done nothing but bend over backward to be nice to him. I find her Stepford impression maddening. She offered him our spare bedroom and welcomed him with open arms. I wish I could forgive him as easily as she has, but I can’t get over his lack of devotion. No amount of home-made dinners will fix the problems be
tween us.
Dad places the last bowl on the table then takes his place next to Dex. “Everyone dig in. Get it while it’s still hot,” he says. I survey the food before us in disbelief. I clench my hands into tight fists as frustrated tears prick my eyes. There’s a strained silence that descends on the table. Ever the peacemaker, mom jumps in and begins dishing out food to everyone. When she gets to me, she shoots me an apologetic glance before spooning a small portion of shrimp alfredo onto my plate and mouths the words,” Just ignore it.” As to not cause a scene and upset my mother, I nod and gently push my plate aside before digging into my side salad.
“So how long are you planning on staying in town David?” Nate inquires, raking a hand through his already mussed hair.
“Oh…um,” dad flounders as he tries to talk around a mouthful of food. “I have a few more weeks here with the kids before I have to head home. Cindy and I are closing on our new house soon, so I need to be back for that.”
Dex picks up the conversation. “Congrats. It must be exciting starting all over again. Is Cindy planning on staying on as your personal secretary after you marry or will you be hiring someone new for that position? You might be able to find a new college intern to take her spot. Someone young and eager to please. Now that you finally put a ring on her finger, I’m sure Cindy has other aspirations in life.”
I pause mid-bite and raise my eyes to the guys. Mom practically chokes on her bite of noodles and goes into a coughing fit trying to get it down. Nate’s nice enough to pat her on the back until she gets herself settled. I’m squirming in my seat. I have no clue what they are up to, but whatever it is, it can’t be good. Dex’s question wasn’t worded rudely, but everyone knows my dad marrying his secretary is a touchy subject in our little family of three. Cindy is one of the many reasons’ my parents divorced. She’s not the primary cause, but she didn’t help keep them together either. Their late night office ‘meetings’ three times a week pushed mom over the edge and rushed the inevitable.
