As the rider walks in with his bike and parks it, he uses the blocks to anchor it before removing his goggles and gloves. He takes his helmet off and dark hair rains all around past his shoulders, landing in a big wave down her back.
“No fucking way. You’re girl.”
“Good of you to notice. Did you see this in my body, too?” she says, rolling her eyes. I bet she is used to getting shit from the guys for riding a bike.
“You are Cole? Or is he your boyfriend?” I ask.
“Lola Cole meet Luka Vaughn,” Jack introduces us.
“Oh, we’ve met,” she says, continuing past me to the shop.
“Wait!” I yell. I should just let her go but I am so in awe right now. She turns around and stands there staring at me, waiting for me to say something.
“Yeah?”
“Are you gonna be out here much longer?” I ask. I would really love to see her ride some more but something tells me she’s not happy about me being here.
“No.” she turns, hangs her helmet on her bike, and walks into the garage. I can feel my heart thumping so fast but I’m not sure if it’s her or if it was watching her ride. Either, way she’s fucking amazing.
I go into the garage to suit up and get my bike. When I hear her behind me, I turn to look at her as she is getting out of her suit. She is wearing a tank top and spandex shorts. Damn, her body is fucking beautiful.
“So now who is stalking who?” she asks, never breaking eye contact.
“I just came in here to suit up and grab my bike, calm down tiger,” I say.
“Speaking of bikes, let me just warn you, if you ever place your ass on my bike again I will punch you in the face, got it?” She quickly turns and walks out. Damn, she is feisty; it’s kind of a turn on. I can’t help but smile and adjust my shorts.
“Luka! Get your ass on that track and stop drooling over the kid, you’re gonna make mud puddles,” Jack yells at me as he walks out onto the track.
He’s right. I only have a couple of weeks to get this shit perfect, so I better keep my eyes on the prize. Shit! She popped into my mind. Okay, I need to risk it for the biscuit. Nope, now I just want to think about her biscuit. Dammit, focus Luka.
It looks like a halo from afar; the stadium lights are on and are lighting up the sky. I turn into the parking lot and it’s packed with cars. The entire town is here and ready for the game. I find parking at an empty lot across the street. Everyone and their grandmother attend the games, regardless if they have someone on the team or not. The only reason I have been faithful in attending every Friday game is because of Nolan. I love watching him play; it makes him happy, which makes me happy. I walk up the ramp and head toward the student section. I hear Brian yell my name and turn to see him waving at me. I acknowledge him with a nod and head up toward our usual spot in the bleachers. The band is playing and the team is already taking their spot on the field. We all stand and cheer at the first kick off. We all cheer and yell as the ball flies through the air into the hands of the opposing team. On the next play, everyone begins to take his or her seat.
“Hey baby, have you changed your mind about the party tonight?” Brian asks me without taking his eyes off the field.
“Nope.”
He has nothing more to say. He doesn’t even bring up the party anymore. We watch the game, each quarter passing with our home team staying ahead with points to spare. It is the fourth quarter and the second string is playing. Nolan finds me in the crowd, places two fingers on his lips, and kisses them. It’s our little secret message to show me he loves me. I do the same. The game is over, and our team for the win. The band plays the alma mater as the crowd begins to dissipate. I make my way toward the field to Nolan. He sees me and gives me a hug.
“Great game, you were awesome.”
“Thank you. So are you coming tonight?”
“No, you know it’s not my thing. Besides, all you guys do is drink and get drunk, and all that annoys the hell out of me. I feel like I’m the only sane person there.”
“Then have some drinks.”
“Drinking makes my lips puffy and I get sleepy, I won’t even be awake long enough to have a second, and besides you know the real reason why I don’t.”
“Because of ‘dance’.” Nolan finger quotes dance, but yes, that is my true reason. I have worked too hard at staying fit to throw it all away for one night of drinking. It’s just not worth it.
“It’s gonna be one helluva party, Lolita.”
“Yeah, well then why do you always seem to regret them the next day?” saying it with a raised eyebrow, “anyways I can’t go, I need to rest. Dion will be there tomorrow, early, so I need to have my body well rested because I know he is gonna fucking kill me.”
“Okay, have it your way. It could’ve been one helluva night.” I turn to head to my car when he pulls my arm, making me stop in my tracks.
“Thank you for coming,” he says.
“Always,” I tell him, because I will always be there for both of them.
“You were the fucking king out there bro!” Brian says to Nolan, hitting him on his shoulder.
“Hey guys, I’ll see you two tomorrow?” I ask, not sure what plans they have. I would love to have them over for a movie.
“Not sure babe, my mom has this thing at the city hall, and I gotta take care of my baby sister,” Brian responds.
“I might be too fucked up to even get out of bed, so I don’t know. Hey, you can come over and make me feel better.” Nolan winks at me and I punch him in the stomach.
I walk off the field waving. I get home and go straight to bed. Dance is in the early morning, and I need to be focused. Dion will drop me from his schedule if I’m not up to par.
My chest is heaving, my inner thighs are sore, and my calf muscles feel like rocks. My dance session was a killer. Dion pushed me to my limit and as much as I hate him, I love him for it. I pour Epsom salt in the hot bath and slowly submerge myself in the water. I close my eyes and feel the warmth of the water devour the aches in my body. My mind drifts off and I must have fallen asleep because I wake up to the coldness surrounding me. The water has gone from hot to cold. I get out, wrap my body in a towel, and head to my room. It’s only eleven in the morning. Jack will be at the track today and I want to go ride.
I arrive at the track and grab my bike from the garage. I see Jack and before I head out onto the track, he stops me.
“No dangerous stunts today kid. I have Luka out there and I can’t worry about both of you today. Sorry kid, it’s a safety concern.” I understand where Jack is coming from but I really wanted to kill the hills.
“Okay.” I push my bike onto the track and put on my helmet.
“I mean it, Cole.” I give him a thumbs up. I plan to take it slow then my last couple of rounds I’ll throw in a couple of stunts, only the ones I’ve mastered. I don’t want Jack having a heart attack, so I’ll play nice. As I say this to myself, a smile breaks across my face.
I’m on my last couple of rounds and as I pass Jack, I see Luka standing next to him. I pick up my speed and head over the hill. I land the fender kiss and my adrenaline is pumping. As I close in on my next hill, I feel the height of my bike in the air and do the Jack Hammer, landing it beautifully. My blood is really pumping, then I see two figures in my peripheral vision and I know who it is. Jack must be pissed at me, so I don’t attempt any more stunts. I come to a stop in front of Jack and Luka.
“Damn, it Cole! I told you no freestyle riding! What part didn’t you understand?” He’s angry. Okay, I knew he was going to be upset, but I didn’t think he would be this upset.
“Get your shit off my track!” Jack yells.
“Oh, come on Jack, those were baby stunts,” Luka says.
“Regardless, she could still get hurt, and dammit kid, I told you no stunts! I wasn’t prepared. What if I wasn’t looking and you crashed and I didn’t get to you in time?” I see concern in his eyes and guilt sets in.
“I’m sorry, Jack,
I just wanted to have a little fun. These are stunts I’ve mastered and I knew I could pull them off just like I have a gazillion times,” I say.
“You’re pushing it, Cole. I swear next time you’ll be suspended longer if you pull this shit again. Understand?” I nod before he changes his mind.
I walk toward the back of the garage and hit the kickstand to position Spencer next to the water hose. My baby needs some suds to shine so I begin watering him down and filling a bucket with some soap and water. I hear Luka behind me. I completely ignore him, and he clears his throat to make me aware of his presence. I still ignore him and continue to wash Spencer. Suddenly, I feel coldness on my back from water being sprayed at me.
“What the fuck?” I scream, throwing the sponge at his face. He ducks out of the way and sprays me again.
I feel my blood boiling and I try to swing at him, but it is a total fail. He might be fast, but I’m smart. I rush over and pick up the water bucket throwing it at him and completely soaking him. Sucka.
“This feistiness is turning me on, Lola.” He raises an eyebrow at me and I swear I want to punch him in face.
“Kiss my ass, idiota!”
“Gladly.” He smiles and puckers his lips. I smile sweetly at him, getting so near I can feel his warm breath, then I slap him right across his face. I see his eyes grow wide. My fists are balled, ready to strike again. This time, I’m ready to punch him in the gut. He must see my fists because he immediately raises his hands, surrendering.
“Truce! Truce!”
“I thought you were ready to go to war, seeing that you were the one who started this fight. You shouldn’t start something you can’t finish.”
“Believe me baby, I can always finish, it being on the track or off.”
“Your flirty ways might work with the other girls in school but don’t insult me by thinking I’m that stupid.”
“I can clearly see that you’re not, my apologies. I just wanted to get your attention. Anyway, I just wanted to tell you, your stunts are flawless. You make it look effortless.”
“Thanks, and apology accepted. You said what you wanted to say, so can you leave me alone now, please?” By now, I see that the soap on Spencer is dry and it’s only going to take me longer to get him to sparkle.
“Hey, do you want to have some lunch? I have been here all morning and I’m starved.”
“No.”
“Is it because of your boyfriend?”
“That is none of your business.” Who does he think he is coming here demanding to know my business? Bastardo.
“Well, I don’t blame him for being possessive about you, or it could be that he’s insecure about himself because there is a hot new boy in school who is going to take his girl.”
“What? First of all, this girl isn’t even interested in the new boy, and second, he’s not possessive. Get off your high horse.” He’s really irritating me, and I might not be able to hold my tongue much longer if he continues speaking.
“Okay, but I’ll remind you of that.”
“Of what?”
“Of those words when you beg me to kiss you.”
I don’t even stay long enough to continue the worthless conversation. He’s an egotistical, self-centered asshole who only has one thing on his mind: himself. I leave Spencer in the garage and get out of there as fast as I can. I head to a place where I can find solace: the kitchen at home.
Abuelita is in there making me tea. I tell her about my day at the track and how self-absorbed Luka is.
“You know when your grandfather and I started courting, he would always pretend to be this big macho man who feared nothing. Many questioned me, even my parents but I saw him for who he really was, gentle, kind, and very loving. He was my soul mate. Niña, you need to dig down deep in your soul. There are times when our souls connect to another but we are too preoccupied with the way life is that we let our soul mate pass us by. Don’t let comfort get in the way of finding true love.”
“I know what true love is, Abuelita, and believe me, Luka isn’t the one.”
“Lolita, you know I may be old, but I’m not blind yet. I see you with those boys and I know you love them but it’s not true love,” she says. She leaves the kitchen while I sit there sipping on my tea. No one has ever questioned my relationship with the boys. I can’t believe she would think I don’t really love them; she is wrong. I love them both.
The doorbell rings, announcing the boys’ arrival. Nolan was able to have a small break from practice today so I invited them over. We have not gotten together since school started. I need my boys and I need to keep away from the track. Luka has taken up residence there after school every day. Is it not enough that I see him all day long at school? Those are my hills he is over-taking.
“Hi, guys,” I greet them as I open the door and motion them inside.
“Hey, Lo.” Brian is the first one in and kisses me on the cheek.
“Hey, Lolita.” Nolan says as he grabs me and picks me up, putting me over his shoulder and making his way into my kitchen.
“Put me down, Nolan!” I scream as I bang my fist into his back.
He sets me on top of my kitchen counter and goes straight for the refrigerator. He is always eating; no matter what time of day, if he is awake, he is eating. Perks of being a growing boy, he says.
“So, what do you boys want to do on this fine Tuesday night?” I say, watching Nolan look through the fridge. I turn to look at Brian who is sitting behind me on one of the bar stools, looking at us with an amused face.
“Whatever you all want. I’m just happy that I have a night off,” Nolan says as he turns away from the fridge with his arms full of Tupperware containers of leftovers. He sets everything down next to me. I jump off the counter and go around the bar to sit next to Brian. Nolan gets plates from the cabinet and fills them with his findings. We obviously feel right at home in each other’s houses. Both boys know I suck at being a hostess; it is self-serve at my house.
Nolan knows what I like and it shows as he fills the plates. Once he is done, he puts them in the microwave to re-heat. My grandmother always makes enough food for leftovers since she knows one or both of the boys will be here eventually throughout the week.
“So how was the party on Friday?” I ask, even though I don’t really care.
“Why do you ask if we all know you don’t care?” Brian says. See how well they know me?
“Well, it is senior year, maybe things have become more interesting.”
“It was the same old thing, as always. Booze and loud music,” Nolan says as we hear the ding of the microwave advising us that the food is ready.
“Well, the girls were drooling all over Luka. You remember him don’t you? Mark’s cousin,” Nolan says.
“Yeah, how could I forget? I have him for every class this semester. Strange, don’t you think, since we have begged the school to let us all be in the same class since second grade?”Boy did we beg and plead for them not to separate us after first grade, but our parents decided that we each had to be our own person, and in order to do that we needed distance from each other. We all knew the truth, though. The teacher didn’t want us together. We were not called ‘the terrible trio’ for nothing.
“Beth was all over him all night. But who can turn down Easy Beth?” Nolan says.
“So, does that mean that you guys have not turned her down?” I know they have because I have seen it at school, and I know the guys would never hook up with one of my worst tormentors, but as I ask, I see them give each other a guilty look. What. The. Fuck.
“Spill. You guys have exactly two seconds to tell me what that look is about,” I say, glaring at both of them.
“I might have fooled around with her during freshmen year, before our friendship took a different turn,” Brian confesses.
That is all I need to hear. I can’t fault him for that. We have never said we were exclusive back then. Beth was not that bad before high school. I guess she became a bitch once she start
ed to notice the boys. She envied my relationship with them. “Hey, now that I remember, how come you guys didn’t answer my text about no guy asking me out?”
“No one is allowed to,” Nolan says matter-of-factly.
“What? Why not?”
“Because you are with us. So every guy has been warned to stay away.”
“You told them I was with you, with you?” I ask, stunned. We had all agreed to keep silent, to not tell anyone.
“No, we warned them that you were off-limits due to being one of us,” Nolan says, taking a bite of his meatloaf sandwich.
“But what if I want to date someone from school?” Luka’s face pops in my head. I shake the image out; I have no business thinking about him.
“Do you?” Brian asks.
“Well, no. But if I did, I want you guys to promise you will let me,” I say as I take a drink from my cup. I have made it clear that I find no one at school even remotely interesting.
I pick up the dishes and take them to the sink to wash them. As I do this, Nolan goes into our snack cabinet and proceeds to take out Oreo cookies for Brian, ten gummy bears for me, (I only allow myself ten per day), and Twinkies for him. We make our way to the den to watch T.V.
We have been watching random shows for an hour when I get up and go to my room to get my favorite blanket. I reach my bedroom and get pushed inside, arms wrapping around my stomach to catch me before I fall.
“I missed you Friday, Lola,” Nolan breathes into my hair. He grabs my hair and pulls it to the side to get better access to my neck where he proceeds to drop open mouth kisses on it. My body should have already started to hum, but like the last time, I feel nothing. I try to break away, but his next words stop me.
“I need you.”
I sag into his arms like many times before. His lips graze the side of my neck, licking his way down my shoulder. He roughly turns me around, and before I utter a word, his lips assault mine. I can feel the hunger in his kiss, his arousal on my leg. He starts walking me backwards, pushing my tee up over my body. He gives us just enough room for the tee to go over my head before he pushes me onto the bed and joins me.
Dirty Chaos Page 5
