by C. Shell
I meant the question as a joke, but as I watch his shoulders drop and his frown deepening, I realize how spot on it was. Daniel grew silent. “You are, aren’t’ you?” I ask, my voice rising in disbelief. ‘Why?”
Daniel clears his throat. “You deserve more than what Dex will give you. Out of all the girls in this school, you are one of the few who are genuinely kind and good. You have a heart of gold, not to mention you’re gorgeous, and you don’t even realize it. If it weren't for the CW boys knocking heads and threatening anyone who looks your way, you could have your choice of any guy in this school.” He was grinning as he spoke and the honesty in his tone made me a little nervous and self-conscience about where he is going with his little speech.
“Dex might come off as a hard-ass, but he’s a pussy cat on the inside. You just have to know him the way I do.”
His brows furrow. “Maybe, you’re right, but I still think you should set your sight’s higher. Dex has a history of using girls. You wouldn’t believe half the shit I’ve heard in the locker rooms.” His hand moves to cover mine. I come close to pulling away. Despite the fact that we’re good friends and have known each for as long as I can remember, his touch feels intimate and wrong.
I lean back in my seat needing some space. I cluck my tongue at him. “You can’t believe everything you hear.”
“True, but not all of it is false. The relationship he had with Lacey is as real as it gets. It might not have been a healthy one, but no one will deny they were an item. I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”
I grow silent at the mention of Lacey. Her words from the bathroom still too fresh and raw to ignore. A buzzing sounds starting in my head. Closing my eyes tightly, I lean my head back on the wall behind me and take deep, calming breaths. I’ve never needed a week to be over as much as I do this one.
Mrs. Johnson’s voice cuts through the air. I jerk up and find her staring straight at me. She waved a finger in the air at Daniel and I. “You two need to save your talk for later and get working on your assignment.”
Light laughter fills the room. I squirm in my seat, as several sets of eyes cast our way. Daniel gives Mrs. Johnson a nod. I follow it up with a soft “sorry.” Shelving the serious talk, we get to work and by the end of class, the tension around us is finally lifted.
Chapter Eighteen
Dex
My muscles are spent and tired as I finish my last sprint across the field. I’ve never seen Coach as wound up over a game as he is this one. Nate and Jimmie gave up after the first mile and snuck back into the gym to finish up with their routine with weights. Since coach asked me to play center mid this game I decided some extra running would be a good way to help loosen up my muscles for tonight. I think I might’ve gone overboard and should’ve stuck with a lighter run.
Retrieving my bag and water bottle, I take off back toward the athletics building to meet up with the rest of my team. I’m halfway there when I notice a girl standing alone near the entrance. I hesitate only for a moment before I pick up speed and push my tired legs into another intense sprint to her before she disappears on me.
Slowing my stride, I come to an abrupt stop when I reach Lacey. I glance over and see the lustful expression in her gaze and instead of it turning me on like it once had, it made my stomach roll in an I-think-I’m-going-to-be-sick kind of way.
“You’re looking quite healthy for a girl who’s been so sick she had to miss the last four days of school. If I didn’t know better, I would think you’ve been faking the whole flu thing.”
I tilt my head to the side and scan every inch of her. Lacey’s hair is curled in soft waves, and the soft pink dress she’s wearing has barely enough fabric on the top to cover her pert boobs. The bottom is so short that if she bends over her panties will be on display for the world to see. Not something I would expect to find a girl just getting over the flu to be wearing.
“Well lucky for me my Uncle is a good doctor. The medicine he gave me worked like a miracle. Your welcome to step closer and check for yourself, if you have any concerns. I’m all for playing a game of patient and doctor if you’re up for it.”
I groan inwardly. This girl will never learn.
“You’ve missed a lot this past week. Someone has taken up a dangerous hobby of messing with Addison. Her locker was defiled, nasty rumors spread around the school, and today her car tires got slashed.” I lean in closer and cross my arms over my chest. She froze, and I took a moment to enjoy watching her fidget. I kept the part about the school blog out on purpose to make her think we never caught it. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about all that would you?”
“No…no why would I? I’ve been gone all week. Addison isn’t worth my time; so why would you think I would do those things?”
I shook my head. “You seem nervous Lacey. Maybe even a little scared.” I lean in further until there are only a few inches between us. “Here’s the thing. Addison is one of us. She’s part of the CW group, and everyone knows we work as a whole. Mess with one of us and the rest of us take it personally. Get what I’m saying, Lacey?”
Her back stiffens and within seconds her smile transforms to a smug smirk. The bitchy side of Lacey that I’m used to has come out to play. “You all think your precious Jelly Bean is something special when she isn’t anything but an ugly skank who flirts with over half the boys at this school. Everyone bows down to her, and it’s sickening. You’re too good for her. If you would just open your eyes, you would see that she’s nothing special. A guy with your power and stature needs more than what she can give you.”
I yell in her face. “Back the fuck off, Lacey. Addison and I are a couple now. She’s my girl. She is someone I’m proud to walk the school halls with on my arm, something I would never think about doing with you. Your nothing but trash that’s been used over and over by too many people. You come anywhere near her or send any of your lackeys to harm her in any way, and I will bury you.”
I shove by her and head inside the building. With my adrenaline pumping hard, and the need to check on Addison, I head straight to the locker room and retrieve my phone. With shaky fingers, I type out a message.
Me: What are you doing?
I sit on the bench and wait for what feels like forever for my phone to ding back. I'm ridiculous, I know this, but I can’t shake the feeling that something bad is coming our way. When my phone finally alerts me to a message, my body visibly sags with relief.
Addy: Waiting in the parking lot for Cammy.
Me: Are you alone?
Addy: No, Daniel is with me.
Me: WTF? I don’t want him near you. Find Cammy and get your ass home.
Addy: Stop overreacting. He’s my friend. Boyfriend or not, you don’t get to tell me what to do. Got to go. Call you later
Me: Fuck that. Addison this isn’t the time to test me. Go find Cammy!!
Addy: Turning my phone off. Talk to you when I get home. Bye
I slam my phone down against the bench. Not a smart move but nothing I’ve done lately has been so why not add one more thing to the list. I don’t even bother to check to see if it’s broken. Everything in my life feels like it’s spinning out of control. I’m at a loss as to how to stop it, and that in itself scares the hell out of me.
Chapter Nineteen
Addison
“I’m getting hungry again.” I turn and look at Cammy, making sure I heard her right. Her eager eyes told me I had. “You’ve already had a burger, fries, milkshake, and a bag of popcorn.” I motion to her small frame. “Where the hell are you putting all that food?”
“She’s a bottomless pit,” Daniel answered, his chest shaking with laughter. “I wish I had a metabolism like hers, then maybe I wouldn’t have to spend hours at the gym each week pumping iron and running in place on a treadmill.”
I laughed and gave Daniel a nudge in the ribs with my elbow. “You poor baby. Your life sounds so hard.” I shot him a friendly wink. “If it makes you feel better, all that iron pu
mping does your body good.”
“Guys I'm serious. I need something sweet to nibble on. Anyone want to share a funnel cake with me?” Cammy’s whining over food is nothing new. You can’t take the girl anywhere without having to stop at least once to refill her ravenous stomach. The girl can out eat Jimmie any day of the week, and that is a feat not taken lightly.
Someone near me shouts then everyone around us is on their feet, and the crowd erupts into excited cheers. “Shit,” I curse. Standing with the mass, I zero in on the field to find my brother bouncing around with a goofy smile plastered across his face. I feel like such a schmuck for missing his triumphant goal against the other team. I love watching the guys play soccer together. They move around the field like well-orchestrated dance, always knowing where the other is, and moving the ball between them effortlessly.
I point to Daniel. “Will you please go with her to the concession stand? The guys will have my head if I miss any more of this game. They’ve been talking non-stop about it all week.”
He nods back to me thoughtfully as he puts away his phone. “Sure, but you owe me.” Daniel grabs Cammy by the hand, and the two of them begin picking their way through the crowd as they descend the bleachers.
The game continues, and our school is ahead by three points. It’s not the killer ‘ass-whooping’ the boys promised the preppy team all week, but it’s better than the alternative of losing. No, losing is not an option. Their school and ours have a long-standing history of bad blood and one way or another my boys will walk off this field victorious. I’ve got faith in them. They can do this.
Daniel and Cammy make it back just as other team scores another two points. Cammy tries to show me her prized gooey funnel cake decked out in strawberries and covered with a heavy dose of powdered sugar. I wave her and her artery clotting food away, all I want to do is bury my head in the sand and not come out until it’s all over. Close games like these turn me into a nervous wreck. We are down to a minute left. Gregory, one of our newer players, does a fancy foot move and steals the ball, once again giving us control. I glance around the field and send a little prayer up to the soccer gods asking for our team to make one more goal before the time runs out.
Gregory passes the ball to Dex, who dribbles it downtown the side lane toward the other team’s goalie. His muscles ripple and even from this far away I can see the unrelenting look in his eyes. The effect is not lost on me. My inner hussy is screaming his name like a mantra.
Jimmie by this time has moved to the center of the field. He’s wide open, poised, and ready. I don’t want to look, and yet I can’t close my eyes. Dex and Jimmie give each other the nod then the ball is passed. The crowd is eerily quiet. Everyone is on their feet, and all attention is on the field. Jimmie leaps through the air, his foot connects with the ball, and it sails toward the goalie who misreads the trajectory of the ball and misses it by a few inches.
“We won,” I scream. “We did it.” I’m so happy I can’t contain myself. I grab ahold of Cammy and share my happiness with her by jumping up and down like a crazy person. Cammy and her overly full stomach don't appreciate my jumping. When her hands flap excitedly in front of my face, I misinterpret it for her getting into the spirit and being silly with me, and then her face begins to pale and transforms into a sickly shade of greenish-yellow. By now, I’ve caught on to the dilemma we’re facing. My bestie is close to losing it, and it’s all my fault.
Grabbing Cammy and Daniel by the hand, I start dragging the two of them through the crowds and down the metal bleachers toward the outstretched line of yellow porta potties. Sensing the urgency of the matter, Daniel doesn’t ask any questions and helps us get to our target with least resistance. The soccer gods are still on my side because for once in my life, my feet never falter, Cammy has yet to upchuck, and there is no line for a bathroom.
Opening one of the units, I stow her inside to take care of business. If her stomach wasn’t already churning from all food and dancing, the smell coming from the portable toilet was all the incentives it needed to let loose. While Cammy makes awful gagging noises, I shut the door to give her some privacy.
Daniel gives me a puzzled look. “Are you going to leave her in there by herself?
I shrug and turn so I can lean against the outside of the building and watch the guys as they leave the field. “Trust me. She understands. If I get to close, I’ll be joining her. I’m sympathetic to others throwing up. If I hear or see it, I do it too. Happens every time.”
Daniel shook his head and leaned in close. Too close for my comfort. “Do you think she’ll be okay?”
I smirk. “She’ll feel crappy for the next few hours, but she’ll be fine. I tried telling her after she started on the popcorn that she was overdoing it. She never listens.” I try and put a little distance between us, but with the building behind me and the door to my side I’ve got nowhere to go.
The field is emptying out. Its tradition for me to meet the guys outside the locker rooms when they come out. With the wretching sounds coming from behind me, I decide to give Cammy a little more time. I pull out my phone and send Dex a text.
Me: Cammy’s sick. Find me over by the porta potty.
“You got plans tonight?” I look up to find Daniel studying me. The way he is looking at me has me wondering what’s on his mind. He’s been different lately, and I can’t help but think I’m missing something. Something big.
I stow my phone away in my back pocket. “Um…yeah I do.”
His grin widens. Before Daniel can say anything else, we get an unexpected and unwelcomed visit. I straighten and roll back my shoulders as Lacey and Shannon reach us. Her eyes narrow on mine, and all I see is pure contempt flashing back at me. There is no doubt that she hates me. Shannon not so much, but she is a follower, so when Lacey says ‘jump,' Shannon will ask ‘how high.' Pathetic way to live if you ask me.
The tension around the four of us is thick making my gut twist. Lacy looks just as vicious and perfect as she did earlier today in the bathroom. Dressed in skin tight black jeans, with a baby pink cashmere sweater that dipped just enough to show off her cream-colored lace bra. I can’t help but compare her outfit to mine. With the cooler pushing in from the North, I chose comfort over style with a large purple sweater, skinny jeans, and black ankle boots. Lacey and I couldn’t be more different if we tried.
“Shannon, look what the cat dragged in,” Lacey says, her eyes never swaying from mine as she speaks.
Daniel moves, placing his body efficiently between the two of us. “Not here, Lace.” The demand is his voice has no effect on her if anything she seems to enjoy it.
She rolls her eyes before stepping forward and dragging a perfectly manicured finger down his chest. “Come on Daniel, “she pleads, her bottom lip sticking out in a perfect pout. “Let me play a little bit. I want to tell Miss goody-two-shoes a story or two. If she plans on taking my man, then she should know what’s in store for her.”
My curiosity is piqued. And the familiarity between she and Daniel is unnerving. I’ve never seen them together before tonight, and yet they talk as if their good friends. Something about it feels wrong to me.
I give Daniel’s arm a tug. “It’s fine. I can take whatever Lacey wants to dish out. She doesn’t bother me.”
Her smile finally fell away. I knew whatever Lacey was going to say would be hard to take, I just wasn’t prepared for the details she planned on sharing. “Dex likes to fuck hard. Don’t expect him to want it gentle because that isn’t him. He’s notorious for leaving bruises and bite marks. One time I had a hickey on my boob so dark, it took over a week to heal. He also likes to do it whenever the mood strikes.” Her smile returns and the sight of it made me want to join Cammy in the bathroom and empty my stomach also. “We’ve fucked by the river, in his room, his truck, the movies, several showers, and once at school.”
My heart is beating a mile a minute. Every word she says feels like a knife slicing at my skin. At the rate she’s going, I don’t
know what will be left of me when she’s finished. Refusing to show weakness and not trusting my voice, I stay mute and try to use Daniel as a shield. If I crumble now, then she wins, and that just can’t happen.
Lacey licks her lips and in that instance, I know she’s just getting started. Someone just bury me now and get it over with. If she could kill me and get away with it, I have no doubt she would do it and never look. “One time after a game he was so energized from winning that we went at it for three hours straight. We barely made it home before ripping each other’s clothes off.”
“Enough Lacey. No one here needs to hear about what an easy slut you are.” Dex’s deathly command cuts through the air, halting whatever perverse thing she was about to say.
Nate and Jimmie come to stand beside me. Out of habit, I lean against Nate and hook my arm around his waist. We watch on as Dex continues giving Lacey a piece of his mind.
“Only a slut would go around talking about how many times she’s opened her legs. You think I want that in a girlfriend?” He glares at her, and her once brilliant smile falls flat. “You are nothing to me. Get that through your hard head. I. Don’t. Want. You!”
I let out a breath I never knew I was holding. My body sags against the outside wall of the porta potty as the door flies open and a tired looking Cammy emerges. She glances around at all us with a sheepish look. “Oh, Hi everyone.” I want to laugh but don’t in fear of embarrassing her. “I got sick,” she says, her thumb pointing back at the bathroom door.
Dex ignored us all and stalked up to Lacey, his face lowering until it’s even with her. Her eyes widen, but she holds her ground. “Get out of here and stay the hell away from all of us. If I see you causing her any more harm, I will end you.”
She takes a step back, her eyes going hard. “You’ll regret speaking to me like that Dex.” She tips her chin in my direction. “You better keep you bitch on a short leash. Bad things happen to little strays.” Grabbing Shannon, by the arm, they take a few steps back and fade into the crowd of people exiting the stadium.
