"Get ready to strip and remove your shirt," Sicily said, her arms already shaking and aching.
There was a tangled web of body parts over the Twister mat, with their arms going under and over each other while their legs intertwined. Sicily's back was against Tanner's chest. The compromising position aroused the crowds reaction.
"I'd be happy to do that for you babe," he replied teasing as he checked her out amusingly even while his arms flexed in pressure. "And same goes for you. That dress seems easy to get out of."
The people who surrounded Sicily and Tanner were cheering crazily, and some even got too into the game, giving them tips and advice on how to make their positions easier and not so hard to do.
"Right foot on blue," Zane shouted.
They all waited while Sicily stretched her foot and placed it easily on the ocean-colored circle.
Tanner did the same. This position put them even closer together. They were pressed against each other, arms brushing and legs interlaced. Tanner's solid chest was crushed against Sicily's back, and each could feel the labored breathing of the other. Neither one wanted to lose. The stakes had somehow gotten out of hand. If Tanner won, Sicily would have to go on a date with him, but if it ended with Sicily as the winner, Tanner, would find himself in a tattoo parlor getting inked or pierced, and he wasn't a fan of needles.
"Right foot on yellow," Zane said in such a tone of excitement he seemed to be the one enjoying the game the most. "And...”
Sicily’s foot slipped and she fell, loosing round one.
“…awww! The first round is now officially over!" shouted Zane over the crowd’s reaction.
"Don't be shy. You can take your dress off now," Tanner said smirking so wide he could've have literally lit up the whole room if it wasn't so bright and happy already.
Sicily had no choice but to remove her dress. She’d played and lost, so now she had to pay the price. She grabbed the hem of her garment and pulled the dress over her shoulders. The cold wind coming from the air-conditioning unit slapped her skin. She was left exposed, now wearing only her strapless bra and lacy underwear. As you might expect, everyone was looking at her. If they hadn’t been then the reason for playing strip Twister was kind of lost. Many expressions showed either shock, admiration, or many of the boys were just smiling…happy to bear witness to her loss.
"The beginning of the next round," Vanessa emceed. "Left hand on green."
Sicily grimaced, this time she would not lose. Even if she had to play, well…dirty.
"Right foot on red."
And again, she followed with ease as Tanner did the same.
"Put your left foot on green."
The second round went on without the suggestive posses and excitement found in the first round. They still looked like a tangled web with arms and legs everywhere, just a much cleaner tangle.
Sicily, even though she was almost completely naked, was still happy to play along since the positions weren't really challenging. Stretching wasn’t a problem for her, as she was a cheerleader and used to using all these muscles.
"I like the view in front of me," Tanner teased, referring to the front part of her anatomy. "I’m glad you chose a strapless bra…"
"Stop peeking!" she said as she rolled her eyes. “If you don’t stop I’m going to specify the body part that has to be pierced.” She looked down his body.
Tanner winced. Losing his focus on the game
In an extremely quick movement, Sicily moved her head in front of Tanner's which caused him to lean back until he went too far and ended up falling on his back.
Once again, cheers erupted as people patted the contestants' shoulders. Sicily let out a sigh of relief. She looked at Tanner who was smirking confidently while he took off his shirt.
"I work hard to get these," he said cockily referring to the different parts of his body which were tightly toned in all the right places.
"Umm," Sicily returned. "Are you sure that’s natural?"
"Nope,” he said, realizing she was accusing him of using steroids. He winked. “It's divine."
Sicily laughed, smirking at what Tanner said before they got down to competing in the third round. It was on par with the first round as far as compromising positions. However the fourth round was the best as Sicily still had on her bra and underwear, while Tanner was down to his boxers.
"Don't start drooling now," Tanner, for the millionth time, teased as he arranged his body in front of Sicily. He thought she should be looking throughout the game instead of concentrating on her moves.
Sure, he had a nice body, but it wasn’t worth the game, Sicily thought. "Oh, don't worry I'm not."
"I don't advise caution, just to let you know, I like a little danger in my women. And you can look all you want."
Sicily glared at Tanner and realized he wasn't going to stop making these stupid comments anytime soon. She examined his body. Definitely drool-worthy and this made Sicily cringe and wobble. Good thing she was able to steady herself before she completely fell.
"I know, no reminders needed," she said, only smiling.
"Good," he answered winking. "Look all you want and I'll do same to you."
"Careful now," was Sicily's reply. "I might give you an erection."
That was how Sicily won a game of Strip Twister against Tanner Fox. She’d shocked him enough that he’d jerked his body just enough to knock him off balance.
The moment the winner was announced, she quickly reached for her dress and slipped it on over her head. People congratulated her, patting her shoulder reassuringly. One of those congratulating her was Lucas, the person she least expected to say a "Nice one."
He grinned, "That was a humbling experience for Tanner," he said, dryly. “However, I believe I would have enjoyed the striptease at the end much more if the loser had been you."
Well, duh, Sicily thought. I’m a girl, and she was sure Lucas had seen Tanner naked a thousand times in the boys’ locker room.
"You should've lost," Zack began. "I would have laughed if you had to flash the whole party."
She smiled at both Lucas and Zack. They were both being asses, just in different ways. Zack was probably still angry about the whole Mallory thing, but Sicily didn’t care about Mallory or Zack’s attitude. She didn’t like him, but the crap he said just rolled right off her back.
Tanner came up beside his friends and Sicily grinned, "I actually can't wait to see you next time," she said. "You can show me your ink or what ever body part you got pierced. I’ll be anticipating the show."
"Man, I truly wished it had been you to lose. I could've had a date with you," he said, actually looking sorry for himself.
"Not in a million years, sorry," was Sicily's reply. She just really liked Tanner as a friend. He would have been and easy conquest, but she wasn’t interested in the least. He was to willing to please her. Sicily didn’t like people following her every move or hurrying to do her bidding. It may have been a benefit of being popular, but she didn’t want a boyfriend kissing the ground she walked on. It would be like having a pet instead of a boyfriend.
"I'm not good enough for you?" he asked, his tone beginning to lighten a bit. "I'm sure you'd rather have me than Luke here," he continued smiling as he patted his friend's back.
Lucas looked up and smiled thinly.
"In a heartbeat!" Sicily said seriously, and turned to walk away.
* * * * *
"Ten!"
People had started to pair up as everyone headed out to the garden to stand under the fireworks display and make out.
"Nine!"
Couples began to stare longingly into each other's eyes while those who didn't have anyone beside them yet, frantically searched the room for a suitable partner.
"Eight!"
The garden was just about packed, and in the midst of the crowd Sicily stood beside her friends, but she was still hadn’t settled on a guy to kiss.
"Seven!"
In pairs, people held hands, some
already moving in for the kiss, completely ignoring the ski that in seconds would be lit up with the firework display.
"Six!"
Girls squealed like a bunch of ten-year olds while more guys began to close the gap with their female partners.
"Five!"
Sicily looked around and she only saw one free person, Tanner.
"Four!"
Tanner Fox, loser at strip poker, was making his way to her as he gave her a small grin. That picture replayed repeatedly inside Sicily's head. Shit, this was not how she wanted her year to begin!
"Three!"
Tanner had almost closed the gap between himself and Sicily. Was she just going to stand here and let him kiss her?
"Two!"
Sicily couldn't do it. She took a step back.
"One!"
Instead of walking away, she turned around and suddenly her heels got stuck in the soft ground and she started to fall backward. Sicily closed her eyes and hoped that she wouldn’t hit too hard. But she never landed. Instead, someone caught her, their hands supporting her back, bringing her back into a standing position. She felt lips press softly against her own and she immediately opened her eyes and stared into Lucas’ beautiful gray eyes.
He seemed as shocked as she was to be in this position.
"I didn't mean to," Sicily said against his lips.
"Happy New Year," was the only thing Lucas said before he pulled loose and walked away.
Chapter 6: The User and the Used
The first Saturday in January was bright and sunny. It was a balmy 75 degrees, which was just one degree above average for this month. The skies were a clear blue color; the cumulous clouds were heavenly-white and cotton candy puffy. It was a perfect afternoon to be outside and take a stroll down the beach.
For a babysitting job it wasn’t a bad way to spend my time, Sicily thought.
They took Sicily's car since Lucas didn't want her to drive his Hummer. They parked her car in one of the beach lots and started down the boardwalk.
Her eyes were on the shops and delis they would pass by. She hadn’t had much to eat for breakfast or dinner today. She was starving and wanted to pig out. “Lucas, I know we said we were going to walk, but I’m starving. Would you mind if we stopped at one of these delis or somewhere to grab a bite?”
“Not a problem. In fact, there is a Subway, let’s go there. We know it will be quick.” He pointed across the street.
It made my day. I loved Subway. They had good food, were fast, and were always clean. Now I could worry about something else besides my stomach, like having to talk with Lucas. So far she hadn’t managed to have one civil conversation with him yet. She had racked her brain for something worth talking about but what she kept thinking about was the "kiss" they’d somehow shared on New Years Eve. She didn’t want to talk about that, really.
After they ordered and sat down, Lucas didn’t wait for Sicily to start things off. "Did you know Tanner invited me to go with him?" he began and Sicily was caught off guard. "He was thinking of getting his piercing today."
"So he chose metal?" Sicily asked. "Why didn't you go with him anyway?" she asked another question even before Lucas could give the obvious answer to the first.
"Yeah, he did," was his reply. "He wants a tongue piercing and says it's helpful when it comes to making-out. But he was having a difficult time getting his mom to sign the parental consent form. He won’t be 18 for another couple of months, and the place refused to do the piercing without the form."
Sicily laughed lightly as she put her hands on her stomach before she said, "That sounds like Tanner. I bet it takes some talking; most parents don’t like the whole body piercing/tattooing thing. When will he be 18?”
“Couple months.”
Sicily noticed that he hadn’t really answered her question about why he wouldn’t go with his friend. "You haven't answered my question. Why didn't you go?"
"I don’t have to answer that," he said, looking at the ocean which was opposite Sicily.
"It's not a trick question and you don't really have to you use your brain, you know" Sicily continued, unfazed by Lucas' silence.
"So, what's the deal?" Sicily said after Lucas took a bite of his foot long sandwich. "Are you scared of getting pricked, or do you already have a piercing and you didn't want to go because you’ll be tempted to add another one?" That would be her reason. She couldn’t go with anyone without coming out with something else pierced; her next step was a tattoo.
Again Lucas chose not to answer by keeping quiet, and finally, Sicily realized the reason for his stillness. He was a real baby. He was over six feet, had a built and well-toned body, and added to that, he had a magnetic presence that intimidated almost everyone, even Sicily. Yet he was afraid of getting pierced. He didn’t even want to watch it happen.
"I never took you for a pussy," she said, falling back on the standard insult.
"I'd like to see you get poked," he returned, crossing his arms over her chest.
Sicily played with her fork while she considered her options. "You missed that opportunity," she said.
Lucas raised his eyebrow in question.
Sicily pulled up her top, exposing her stomach so Lucas could see the metal and diamonds on her bellybutton. The shiny gems glittered every time she moved. She still remembered getting this piercing. She hadn’t been scared, she loved her body ornaments.
"How come I didn't see that last night?" Lucas asked.
That answer surprised Sicily. She didn’t think he’d paid that much attention to her. She hadn’t noticed Lucas when she’d been playing Strip Twister. She’d still been too pissed off about having to deal with Mallory, then Zack. And then she’d been having fun with Tanner. Lucas had been quiet the whole time she’d played the game, and his face had been set, expressionless. Sicily stilled. Realizing she had noticed Lucas more than she’d thought.
"Why wear it when it won't even be seen?" she returned.
He replied, "I could ask the same question now, and yet you have it on when it won’t be seen."
"Maybe you're hinting," she said playfully. "Maybe you just want me to take my shirt off."
Lucas laughed at what Sicily said. Finally shaking his head when he could talk again, he commented, "Conceited as always."
"You should talk. Your own friend, umm, I think Tanner said that I’m your female counterpart when it comes to egos and conceit." She grinned. “Now ask me if that bothers me?”
"Damn you," he said as a tease. "You're even bitchier than Mal." Lucas closed his mouth the moment he said the last word as he realized that was the wrong thing to say. He knew how Sicily felt about Mallory and vice versa. The two hated each other, maybe even more than Sicily's hated him.
At least he was trying to be civil since he realized how much of a bastard he had been to her. Mal and Sicily on the other hand, still hated each other with a passion. He didn’t understand it. They never tried to patch things up or move forward. They didn't even acknowledge that they had been friends before, when they had been inseparable.
"If you want to talk about her, find some one else," Sicily said, her eyes leveled with Lucas'. "Don’t ever bring her up to me to me. Never to me."
"I don't get you two. You guys used to be glued to each other. Why did you guys…separate?"
Sicily opened her mouth to deny the friendship, and before she could stop herself she said, "It's all because of you." Immediate she wanted to take back those words. Lucas had been an ass to her almost since they’d met. Okay, most of that had been a result of Mal’s lies, but still. He might have treated her slightly nicer today, but today would not make up for years of torture and mean gossip.
"Me?" he returned, shocked to say the least. "I wasn't even part of your group. How is that even possible?"
"You're the reason I…" Sicily didn't want to say it. They weren't even close. Sicily didn't have to tell him what happened to her. And how did she know she could trust him. He wouldn't even understand. Hel
l, he probably wouldn't even care.
"What the fuck did I do?" Lucas was totally lost. He knew about Sicily's crush on him and what happened to her with the drugs and the sex tapes since Mallory herself told him, but he had no idea where he fit in the puzzle. They never really talked before, maybe a little bit, but not too much they considered each other as close friends.
"It's your fault that Mallory said all those nasty, rotten lies, and stabbed me behind my back!"
"I thought we were talking about your cocaine use?" he said, confused by Sicily’s almost violent reaction.
"What the hell? I never took cocaine!"
"Oh, sorry, it was crystal meth, right?" Lucas questioned.
Sicily shook her head. No, that wasn’t even close to being right. But she didn’t say the words. Lucas didn't know how much he was hurting her feelings. Her past was a very sensitive topic for her and she didn't want to reawaken it. She left a lot of things behind, her old school, her past friends, except for Zane, and her bouts of depression. Lucas was completely oblivious about what she’d gone through.
"Are you making fun of me?" Sicily asked. "It's working, just to let you know."
Lucas frowned. "Do you want to leave," he said, finally realizing his mistake. "It's okay. I won't mind."
"And why would I want to leave?"
"Because you're crying already," Lucas answered, stretching his arm out so that he could use his fingers to wipe the tears away from her face.
Sicily only nodded before she stood up, got her purse and left Subway. She’d only eaten about half her sandwich and the way she was feeling, that may have been too much. She slowly moved out to the beach and stood in the sand, watching the surf. There was something calming in the steady ebb and flow of the waves.
She realized that she was disappointed. She had actually thought for a few minutes that she and Lucas might be able to get along. At the beginning of the day he’d acted like a friend. Up until he reminded her of Mallory and the past, brining up the drugs she’d never even taken.
Breaking the Arm, Healing the Heart Page 7
