by Hazel Grace
No sheer cover-up tonight, eh? And why is she here again?
Sawyer Boyd has had a knack for getting in my way over the course of the last few weeks, and I can’t help the persistent asshole in me from fucking with her.
Especially since she’s been conveniently putting herself there.
It doesn’t take much for her cheeks to flush, her eyes to avert in embarrassment with my words, and the way she hurls daggers into me when I mess with her.
Seems to have become a new hobby of mine.
What’s even more amusing is that she’s flaunting her boyfriend around like it’s going to save her from the pack of wild teenage boys that want to bang her. Even with him here, it won’t deter anyone or anything, especially me, from eye fucking and approaching her to dance. That Logan idiot is as transparent as a glass window, squeaky clean out the outside and easy to slide over and walk through.
I could filet that dope in two seconds flat if it wouldn’t procure another reason to fuck the party up with her crying. Plus, it would take too much effort on my part. An effort I’m not willing to invest in when it comes to Little House on the Prairie with red hair and fuckable lips.
I watch Logan walk away from her, leaving it wide open for Gavin to lean in closer to her, to whisper something in her ear. I watch her bottom lip curl above the rim of her cup as he pulls away, her eyes peering up at him with a chuckle.
Nope. Nope.
Fuck no.
I mindlessly move away from Becky, not saying shit about our dance being over, and stride toward them.
This shit...this shit has to stop.
His non-stop mentioning her at practice, lunch, in the locker room, through text messages, and on the phone is grating on my last fucking nerve. It’s to the point where if I hear about him wanting to fuck her one more time, I’m going to break bro code and rat him out myself with all his sick little fantasies.
And that’ll be that.
She’s oblivious to all of this, to my utter fucking shock, because he does nothing but shower her in attention, compliments, and she’s the only fucking one he does it to.
But in the midst of all that, even with her little boyfriend here who lives hundreds of miles away, what girl here wouldn’t want to hang off the baddest fucker in school. And all I need to have happen is for it to backfire in my face if she knows he’s interested and turns on her virtuous charm.
Further proving my point that it’s a bad idea for him to even be entertaining the thought.
Scrapbooks. Need I say more?
“Gavin.” His name comes out of my mouth like a disciplinary parent, and I hate the way it sounds, stern and...jealous? Like I’m some macho caveman who spotted her from afar and just claimed her with my damn voice.
“Hey, man, what’s up?” When he turns toward me, he’s still wearing a silly, stupid smile on his face that I want to slap off.
“Wanna go out on the patio and hit a joint,” I ask, ignoring the hell out of his next conquest. And to be honest, I’d be a little disappointed if she fucked Gavin.
And not for the reasons you’re thinking.
For one, she’s smart. She knows every damn answer Mr. B asks in our history class. Two, she doesn’t strike me as a flighty female, she has spunk.
Hell, she holds her ground with me when I fuck with her, sometimes.
And three, she wasn’t like the other girls in school, which was refreshing in an “I don’t want to fuck her still” kind of way because it’d come with personalized T-shirts with our names on it and shit knows what else.
Gavin glances at my lit joint and back up at me. “Just smoke it in here.” He shifts his regard back to Sawyer. “Everyone else has.”
I clench my jaw at his brushing me off and land my sights on the current nuisance inflicting my plans with the best friend.
“Not home watching American Idol with your boyfriend?” I ask. Sawyer looks over the rim of her cup again and hits me with a different shade of green in her eyes. It’s lighter than normal. “Are you drunk?”
She raises a brow and simply says, “No.”
I’m not her chaperone.
I make my way to the kitchen for more beer, but Sawyer stops me. “The keg is empty.”
Geezus fuck.
I seize her cup and down her drink in one chug.
“Dude,” Gavin scolds, pushing me away. “You’re a dick.”
Sawyer hits me with a sweet grin, which brightens her green eyes. “It’s alright. It was just ginger ale.” I finally notice the carbonation of the soda against my tongue and toss the cup in the trash. Gavin barks out in a laugh while her eyes stay locked on mine in amusement.
“Who comes to a party and drinks ginger ale? And why doesn’t it surprise me that you do?”
She gives a weak shrug. “Not my normal thing, I guess. Congratulations, Hayes, you caught me and discovered one of my many mysteries.”
Gavin throws his head back toward the crowded living room. “Melanie was just looking for you.”
“She can keep looking.” I keep my eyes locked with Sawyer’s, she must be feeling confident tonight because she looks completely at ease with my best friend standing so close to her.
It causes more shit to twitch inside of me, and I’m getting tired of the feeling.
We don’t—I don’t have the time to yank him back into what we’re doing here in the first place. I need to get out of this town and away from my piece-of-shit mom. All the ball busting we’ve had to do over the years isn’t going to be washed up because of some damn girl.
But I’d be naive if I haven’t realized he wasn’t taking it seriously anymore. That it was just my dream and he copped out long ago. He just didn’t have the balls to tell me.
“Where’s Lucas?” I ask aloud because I’m seconds from jerking Gavin away from her and bitching at him about all the shit I’ve done to keep him on the straight and narrow.
“His name is Logan,” Sawyer corrects. “And he went to the bathroom.”
“And he asked Gavin here to be your bodyguard or some—”
“I’m back,” Logan announces, with a shit-eating grin on his face. Then he notices me and Gavin’s possessive arm wrapped around his girlfriend, and it quickly fades.
Dude is a chump. Why she decided to bring him to our scrimmage and our party is beyond me. Even though he looks like the kind of guy that would pester you until you caved.
He’s exactly what I pictured Bases with—boring, vulnerable, probably watches chick flicks as soon as they premiere. A guy that’s going to be a scientist or maybe he’ll get really crazy and become a lawyer.
Basic.
Boring.
Needy.
Typical.
“Gotta be careful around here, man,” I tell him with a tsk. “You can’t leave your meat out here, the wolves will come sniffing around.”
“Meat?” Sawyer repeats at the same time that Logan says, “What?”
“I took care of her,” Gavin boasts. “She’s fine.” His eyes meet mine, and I see the message in his irises; I’m going to take real good care of her.
Sure he will, I’m just fearful he’ll lose his focus on the Virgin Mary over here.
A hand slips around my waist, and I look over at Becky smiling up at me, eyes glazed over. “You left me there,” she whines.
“I know what I did,” I deadpan. “Had business to take care of.”
“And what business was that?” Gavin challenges with a grin.
Becky’s hand rubs my lower back. “Do you want to go downstairs with me?”
I raise a brow. “To do what exactly?” I know what happens in the basement, fucking, sucking, or blowing. All three that I need right now, but I don’t like having it done by drunk girls who are going to scrap their teeth around my dick. Becky is fucked up, and I’m imagining another set of lips around my dick right now.
Her face reddens because I’m not taking her not so subtle hint. “Um...well, you know.”
I shrug. “I don’t.�
�� She looks around for help, from where, I don’t know. She didn’t come over to me with any friends, just a pair of balls that are deflating every second she stands here.
“Becky, sweetie, why don’t you go ask your friends to dance,” Gavin adds softly. He always had a soft spot for a damsel in distress. Easy to reap the benefits of being a temporary hero.
Her hold tightens on me, alerting me that it’s time to dump Becky on her ass because I’m changed my mind and I’m not going to be fucking her tonight.
“I’ll dance with you,” Sawyer offers, stepping forward.
“Who are you?” Becky slurs, leaning toward her to get a better look.
“I’m Sawyer.” She holds out her hand, but Becky just stares at it like she doesn’t know what to do with it.
“Sorry,” she finally says. “I’m not a lesbo...but you’re cute.”
“Wow,” Logan chuckles nervously. “There’s a lot of drunk kids around here.”
“Yeah, we get pretty tanked on the weekends,” Gavin voices. “Not much else to do around here.” He nudges Sawyer. “But your girl here is as sober as a saint at these things.”
Logan looks down at Sawyer like she is the best thing since sliced bread and smiles at her.
A saint, huh?
A slither of doubt creeps into my mind. Because after all the times she’s half-assed attempted to flick me off or tell me exactly what she wants to let me know, her exonerated facade emerges and shoos it away.
And I want to break it.
“Salt Shaker” by the Ying Yang Twins debuts through the airwaves, and I steer my attention to Sawyer. “You wanna dance?”
I’m met with three pairs of owl eyes.
I’m a little surprised at myself for asking since I hate dancing sober, but since I’m high, the need to get her alone tugs at me. I want to peel a little layer back of Sawyer’s masks.
Gavin responds “What” at the same time as Sawyer’s “Huh,” and I fight the cocky smirk that’s trying to appear on my face. Logan looks like he’s going to stroke out, and Sawyer fixes me with a “are you fucking serious?” look.
I hold my hand out for Sawyer, watching her eyes follow it, hesitating. “I’m not that bad…I promise.” I nod toward the clingy Becky on my hip. “You’ll have Becky with you to keep you looking good. That’s if you know how to dance.”
“I, uh...I’m good, thanks.”
I raise a brow. “Are you turning me down, Bases?” Her face softens as I illuminate an innocent look.
If she thinks she hurt my feelings, it’d be a good guilt trip for her to not turn me down again. She drags her attention to Logan, whose face is growing paler as the seconds go by, and shrugs.
“If it’s just one song,” she ventures. “Are you okay with it?” Logan swallows his Adam’s apple down his throat before nodding his agreement.
Such a weak specimen of a male and the right to have a dick.
Her soft fingers wrap around my outstretched palm, sending a rush of chills up my arm as I pull her away, feeling Gavin’s heated glare aimed at my skull.
I’m doing him a fucking favor.
I guide her and Becky through the crushed pack of teens as they grind and mesh together. Her hand is still cupped with mine, and I fight back the urge to lace my fingers through hers. I wonder what she’d do with the intimate action because I like the way she melts for me but holds a stone exterior.
It only fuels my inner asshole.
Finding a small gap in the middle of the room, I turn around to face her, but Becky steps in between us. Sawyer is too busy studying a group of drunk girls wiggling their asses to the beat of the music, but I notice her hand is still in mine.
“Ready, Bases?” I ask her with a squeeze. She tears her attention away, raising a brow.
“Are you?” The corners of my lips quirk. This chick will never show me fear, something I can say I honestly like about her.
Everything else, well, it’s grating.
Becky starts up on my groin again, and Sawyer drops my hand, watching her slide down my thighs.
I’m thinking she’s going to back out, this isn’t her scene. She’s probably missing whatever boring thing she usually does on a Saturday night. But she’s tapped on the shoulder by a lanky motherfucker behind her, leaning closer to say something in her ear. He notices me a moment later, eyes widening from my death glare.
He knows who I am, I don’t have to announce it to anyone here. And he just asked my dance partner to dance.
I’m about to tell him to fuck off, but Sawyer turns around to face him and nods. Probably with a smile and her spellbinding green eyes. She touches his arm and starts to two step side to side to the beat.
Lanky hasn’t ripped his eyes from me until she must’ve said something because he looks down to acknowledge her.
I, on the other hand, haven’t moved. I’m observing her do this goofy dance move where she starts shaking her shoulders forward and back. Over the music, I can hear her chuckle, as Lanky over there mimics her actions.
She stands next to him so they can do it together in sync and peers up at me.
Unaffected by my gawking and raised brows, she sends me one of those award winning smiles. “Scared?”
“No,” I deadpan. “What the hell are you doing?” Her smile broadens and ignores me as the chorus of the song chimes, advising women to drop and shake their asses.
And that’s exactly what she does.
She stops doing her dumb ass dance, and Sawyer Boyd drops her fucking ass to the floor. Her shorts ride up her thighs, giving me and anyone else looking a perfect view of what it would look like to shove her jeans all the way up her tone legs before going down on her.
Innocent, good grades, the girl I’ve been preaching to the choir to stay clear of, whirls her hips like a seductive video vixen on the set of a hip-hop video. Her hands clasp her thighs as she sways, slowly bringing herself to stand.
My eyes dart to her curvy waist, revolving, her lean arms curl and bend over her head. Her T-shirt rises, exposing her flat stomach and waistband of her jean shorts.
I’ve seen girls bump and grind, flirting to get attention from any guy watching, but Bases dances like there’s no one in the room. Moving uncalculated at the rhythm of the beat.
I’m captivated, I can’t think of another word for it. I can’t pry my eyes away, just up and down the length of her. I don’t feel Becky rubbing and crushing herself to me. The music starts to fade in the background. Time doesn’t exist, just her in front of me.
Her red hair fans across the side of her face, and my stare doesn’t miss when she bites her lower lip.
Fuck.
Just that simple movement makes me want to tear her off the dance floor to see what else I can find underneath her virtuous skin.
I can admit to understanding the fascination Gavin has with her. She’s beautiful, smart, can play softball minus the inside pitches she stubbornly won’t hit, and she doesn’t take my shit lying down. She’s a breath of fresh air in Freemont when everything else was on repeat, and I wanted to break the monotonous play. I craved more, so much more than this small town had to offer.
Strings of guitars change the tempo in the room, exalting groans ring out at the change of genre, but Sawyer just claps her hands in excitement.
I’d Do Anything by Simple Plan ruins everyone’s dry humping, emptying the makeshift dance floor as people go to find their next beer or something else to do.
Everyone but Sawyer.
She starts kicking her legs one at a time, switching from one to the other, singing along to the words of the popular punk band. It’s as though she doesn’t see me or her dance partner anymore or that she really doesn’t give two fucks that I think she’s bopping around like a cute idiot.
Her hand reaches out for my arm, Becky peaced out moments ago, and pulls me into the middle of the room, twirling herself around and under my arm.
An electrical current shoots through me, as she clasps my other hand, making
me her new dance partner for the night. The colorful shades in her eyes sparkle and glisten in euphoria and I don’t know if it’s because I smoked a blunt or if I’m just seeing Sawyer happy, but it sets off something in my chest.
It must be bad weed or the fact that Sawyer is unfuckable that makes me want to fuck her right now. There is no other logical explanation behind it because I’m not looking to play house with her.
After another spin, she starts singing the words out, bopping her head around to the beat. “I’d do anything, just to hold you in my arms. To try to make you laugh, somehow I can’t put you in the past. I’d do anything just to fall asleep with you. Will you remember me? ‘Cause I know I won’t forget you.”
A smile breaks through my lips, and thoughtlessly I pull her toward me, her chest bumping into mine. My hand wraps around her waist, and I strain my fingertips not to dig into her flesh. I fully expect for her to push away, she’s been dodging me like the plague but her face lights up, and she smiles. Her cheekbones rise, lighting up her rosy cheeks sprinkled with freckles.
She’s fucking beautiful.
And this is how it happens.
It comes naturally for her to be so likable and irresistible. She doesn’t even try, which makes her even more risky to everything I want to keep grounded in my life.
I have to have control over it. I need out of this hickville town with memories of my dad and how he left me alone. He didn’t do me any favors, and I wasn’t going to reap the consequences of his actions with my mother.
My body leans in, not listening to anything my rational thoughts have to say, smelling her flowery perfume of lilacs. Traitorous fingertips tug her closer to me as my lips hover over the skin of her soft cheek to whisper in her ear.
“I hope you don’t forget me, Bases,” I rasp. “Because that boring ass Logan isn’t going to do it for you. And the next time you smile like that, it’s going to be because you’re on my arm. At a party just like this with me. And no motherfucker like me is going to tear you away.”
