Opposing Sides

by C. M. Doporto

  “Yes, it’s almost two.”

  “Darn, where did the time go?” I grabbed my purse and latched on to him.

  He guided me outside and immediately, the bright light blinded me. I released Collin’s arm and reached into my purse, searching for my sun glasses. I slipped them on and walked toward Collin’s parents.

  “Goodbye, Pastor Norris.” I shook his hand, keeping a safe distance.

  “Take care, Lexi.” He said, squeezing my hand tightly.

  Luckily, Mrs. Norris cut in before I lost all feeling in my fingers. “Bye, Lexi. Oh, before I forget, I have a few photographers lined up for you to meet next Saturday at our house. You’re mom said that would be fine.”

  I glanced at Mom and she smiled. Did anyone care to ask me? “Well, I thought about asking my friend Delaney to take pictures.”

  “But isn’t she your maid of honor?”

  “Um, yes. Yes she is.”

  Mrs. Norris adjusted her sunglasses, and released a low laugh. “Then how will she take pictures, dear?”

  The words jumbled in my head and I had trouble focusing. Damn liquor. “I guess you have a point.”

  “Why not ask her to take some pictures beforehand?” Mrs. Norris started walking toward the parking lot and I followed her. “I thought she was taking the engagement pictures?”

  “Yes, she’s supposed to.” I quickened my step, trying to keep up with her. The next thing I knew, my foot slipped and I was airborne. My arms flayed to the side, seeking for something to hold on to but there was nothing. My butt hit the concrete, sending a sharp pain up my side. I lay on my back, sprawled on the sidewalk, crying out in laughter. Why I thought it was funny, I don’t know, but I couldn’t stop laughing.

  “Lexi! Are you okay?” Collin rushed to my side, helping me sit upright.

  “Oh my God, she fell.” Mom covered her mouth and I started laughing harder.

  The Norris’ gathered around me, along with my parents. Collin’s jaw worked back and forth, and I knew he was withholding a few choice words. Why was everyone so uptight? I fell for goodness sake. No harm was done.

  “What happened?” My dad’s eyes narrowed and his nostrils flared. I knew he was mad at me but more so because my mom would give him an earful all the way home. Poor Dad.

  “I don’t know… I walking and I um...”

  “I saw it.” Collin’s younger brother, Shane, hovered over me, checking out the scene. “She wasn’t paying attention and missed the step. She was too busy talking to my mom.”

  “Thanks, Shane, for that report.” I grunted as Collin stood me to my feet.

  “You didn’t break anything, did you?” Mom asked in a curt tone.

  “No.” I dusted my hands and picked up my purse.

  “But she’ll have a big bruise in the morning.” Luke flicked his cigarette and then pulled his keys from his pocket. “Let’s go, I need to get back so I can study.”

  Mom’s mouth fell open. “Why are you smoking? You know that will impair your abilities on the field!”

  “So.” Luke walked off and Mom scurried after him.

  Mom didn’t stop her lecture. “And why weren’t you watching over your sister? I thought I told you—”

  “I’m not her babysitter!” Luke got into the car and slammed the door shut.

  Collin helped me to the car and I crawled into the back, pressing my face against the cold seat. It felt so good that my eyes fluttered closed on their own accord. I knew I had embarrassed my family and Collin, but it was unintentional. The drinks slid down effortlessly and they seemed to wash away all the worries about the wedding. No wonder people became alcoholics, the feeling was sort of addicting, and I liked it too much.

  “Collin, can I talk to you for a moment.” Pastor Norris stuck his head into the car.

  “I’ll be back.” Collin said, before walking off with his dad.

  “Damn, Sis. I can’t believe you’re drunk… and in front of your in-laws, too.” Luke chuckled, shaking his head. “You got balls girl. I’ll give you that. Mom and Dad are going to rip you apart once you’re sober.”

  “Don’t remind me.” I said, curling my body into a ball.

  “Lexi?” Collin interrupted my dozing off.

  “Yes?”

  “I’m going home with my parents.” He reached in the backseat and grabbed his backpack. Luckily for him, he never went anywhere without it. “They’ll take me to my apartment later.”

  I sat up, and my stomach turned. This couldn’t be good. “Oh, okay.”

  “I’ll text you later because we need to have a talk.”

  I thought about telling him that I had a tutoring session with Raven, but I didn’t. The door slammed and he walked off.

  Reason number 7 — I’m keeping information from my fiancé.

  Σ

  Chapter 7

  My phone rang and I covered my head with a pillow. A minute later it chimed; alerting me I had a message.

  “Are you going to get that because it’s gone off three times in the last ten minutes?”

  “Huh?” I peeked out from behind the pillow. My head throbbed with a vengeance, an obvious indication that I had too much to drink. Slowly, my vision cleared. I was on the couch at the apartment my brother and Collin shared with two other guys. I hesitated to look at my phone, figuring it was either my parents or Collin calling me. Neither of which I wanted to talk to.

  I fished for my phone, finally pulling it from the bottom of my purse. I had three missed calls and five text messages all from Raven’s phone number.

  “Crap!” It was fifteen minutes after five o’clock.

  “What’s wrong?” Luke asked, opening the refrigerator. “Mom’s already calling?”

  “No.” I muttered as I quickly texted Raven a message that I was running late but would be there ASAP. “I um, what happened?” I rushed to the bathroom in the hallway, praying that no one else was at the apartment.

  “You passed out so I brought you here,” Luke yelled. “And damn, you might be small, but you have one heavy ass.”

  “What? No, I don’t.” I slammed the bathroom door. After relieving my bladder, I took out a brush and combed my matted hair. I wiped the black from under my eyes and applied some lip gloss, then opened the door.

  “Uh, try carrying one-hundred and twenty-five pounds of dead weight up the stairs.” Luke handed me a glass of water and an aspirin.

  “Thanks. How did you know I needed that?” I swallowed the pill with a sip of water and popped a piece of gum in my mouth.

  He raised a brow. “I’ve been there before.” Although I’d never seen my brother drunk, I knew that he wasn’t as innocent as me.

  “Well, thanks for taking care of me. Is Collin here?”

  “No. He hasn’t made it back yet.”

  Thank God!

  “Can you take me to the library?” I slipped my shoes on and straightened my wrinkled clothes.

  “Right now?” He looked at his watch.

  “Yes, I have a tutoring appointment and I’m late.”

  Tracking down the hall, he said, “All right. Come on.”

  The ride to the library was a few blocks away, but it would have taken me at least fifteen minutes to get there. We didn’t say much and Luke didn’t ask me any questions or give me an earful of his two cents. I guess he figured the lecture from my parents would be enough not to mention the chat Collin wanted to have with me.

  “Thanks, Bro. Catch you later.” I hopped out of the car.

  “Later, Sis.”

  I hurried across the lawn and was surprised to see Raven sitting on a bench in front of the library. He glanced up from his phone and flashed a smile. My stomach flip flopped, and I had to admit he looked super sexy in a leather jacket and faded jeans that had a big tear across the knee.

  “Sorry, I’m late. I um… I um…” I didn’t know what to tell him. That I got drunk at brunch and had to sleep it off? Sadly, I’m sure he’d understand.

  “Lexi?” His eyes narro
wed in confusion.

  “Yes?” I took a deep breath, not sure why I was breathing so hard.

  “Sorry, I didn’t recognize you. You didn’t have to get all dressed up for me.”

  Tilting my head to the side, I giggled. “Oh, I went to church this morning, and I didn’t have a chance to change.”

  “Oh, darn. I was hoping you were trying to impress me, you know, since you think I’m sexy.” He winked at me.

  A flash of heat burned my cheeks as his teasing captured every bit of my body’s attention.

  “Who doesn’t think you’re sexy?” The words escaped my mouth. I bit my lip, knowing I walked a fine line between flirting and being friendly. I knew what the fine print said about what was acceptable between friends of the opposite sex, but I was choosing to ignore it.

  Reason number 8 - I liked how Raven flirted with me and that was wrong.

  His lips spread in a wide grin that revealed perfect white teeth. “Okay, now you’re embarrassing me.”

  “Me?” I pressed a hand to my chest. “I didn’t think that was possible.”

  “Oh it is, believe me.” He stood and towered over my five-foot-five frame. “Well, you’re thirty minutes late, so you owe me.”

  “Sorry. We’ll work until we get the paper finished. Even if it takes until midnight to get it done.”

  He inclined his head and we traded glances that yelled ‘Warning! Danger ahead!’ but neither of us looked away. Instead he held my gaze until I felt myself slipping deep into dangerous territory. I tried to reel myself back in, but I couldn’t seem to catch a hold of anything. I was falling, emotions first, in The Raven’s trap. And I didn’t try to stop myself.

  “Great, but first, let’s grab a bite to eat. I’m starving and since we’re going to be up late, I need some food.”

  “Sure.” I agreed, knowing damn well that was the worst thing I could have done.

  We walked to a taco shop on the opposite side of campus. My feet ached with the shoes I wore, screaming for me to take them off, but I managed to ignore it. Between the pain in my head and feet, not to mention my heart, I hoped I wouldn’t pass out again. I felt horrible knowing that I was probably ruining everything between Collin and me, but I was tired of being ignored. I needed someone who wasn’t afraid to show me love, not to mention, I was tired of trying to please my parents. It was my life to live, and I had to make sure I was making the right decisions.

  “What would you like?” Raven stepped aside, allowing me to order first. I told the girl at the register what I wanted and took out my wallet.

  “I’ll get it this time, but next time you pay.” He said, pulling a wad of money from his pocket.

  “Okay, thanks.” Since Collin always paid, I kind of liked the idea of buying a guy lunch or dinner. Raven thumbed through several twenty and ten dollar bills. I thought about the stories I had read in the campus newspaper, and I wondered if they were true.

  We got our drinks and sat in the center of the restaurant at a table. It felt kind of weird not being with Collin, but I tried to relax and strike up a conversation.

  “So, what’s your major?”

  “Business.”

  Oh no. Did he have any classes with Collin? “What year are you?”

  “Sophomore but I’ll be a junior after this semester.”

  “Oh.” I searched for something else to say but nothing came to mind. After a few moments of silence Raven spoke up.

  “I had to sit out a semester,” he explained.

  “It happens,” I replied, acting like I heard similar stories, even though I really didn’t know of anyone.

  “Hey, you want a beer?” He reached into his pocket and removed his ID. Curious to know his age, I slid it from his fingers.

  Raven Renee Davenport

  3029 Lubbock Street

  Fort Worth, TX 76133

  “Twenty-one. You just celebrated your birthday on September 29th?” I handed it back to him.

  “Yeah.” He shucked off his jacket and spirals of tattoo branches crawled up his right arm. His short sleeve shirt hid the rest of it, and I really wanted to trace my finger along the curves to see where it led me. “Hey, you want a beer or a margarita?” He stood up.

  “No, that’s okay. I drank enough earlier.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Yes.” I bowed my head, keeping my eyes glued to the table.

  “That’s not why you were late, was it?” He leaned against the table, hovering close to me. His wonderful scent surrounded me, and my knees weakened.

  I played with the salt shaker, avoiding eye contact. “Yes.”

  He sat down. “I gotta hear this.”

  “You don’t want to know.”

  “I love to hear drunk stories,” he clasped his hand together, “especially when they affect me.”

  I laughed and he kept a straight face. “Waiting.”

  “You really want to know?”

  He nodded.

  “After church I went with my family to Blue Mesa for brunch and—”

  “The one off of University Drive?”

  “No, the one off of Northwest Highway in Dallas.”

  “Oh.”

  “And I had too many Mimosas and had to sleep it off at my brother’s apartment.”

  He started laughing. “You got drunk off of Mimosas?”

  I felt my height shrink about five inches. “Yes. They were really strong.”

  “So you’re a light weight?” He turned when he heard our ticket number called.

  “A light weight?”

  “Yeah, you know… someone who gets drunk easily.” He eased up from his seat.

  “Well, I—”

  “Hold that thought, I’ll be right back.” He pointed a finger at me while walking backwards to the counter. I laughed when his elbow collided with the back of a booth, and he bellowed a cuss word. And that was Raven, the bad boy that could charm the panties off of any girl. But why did he resort to drugs and drinking? He seemed like he enjoyed life too much, but maybe that was it. Maybe he didn’t know when to stop or how to say no.

  He placed my basket of tacos in front of me. “Thanks. They look delicious.”

  “Sure.” He sat down and began eating his food. With a mouth full, he said, “So, if you get drunk off drinking Mimosas what does beer or tequila do to you?”

  I shrugged and then wiped my mouth. “I don’t know. Never tried them.”

  He took a drink of his soda. “You’ve never drank a beer or took a shot of tequila?”

  “No. Never have. I’ve only had wine and the champagne that’s in a Mimosa.”

  “What year are you?”

  “Senior.”

  He coughed, nearly choking on his food. “You’re a senior?”

  “Uh-huh.” I said in between bites.

  “Have you been here all four years?”

  “Yes.” I smiled, and then gulped down my water. Water never tasted so good.

  “So you mean to tell me, you’ve been here for four years and you’ve never had a beer or a shot of tequila?”

  I nodded while chewing my food.

  “Wow. Do you live with your parents or something?”

  “Nope. I live in Carter Hall with my friend, Delaney. But my parents are really strict and they preached to me and my brother not to drink, party, have—” I stopped not wanting to admit to the sex God that I was a virgin. That piece of information was vital to me. One mention of that and he’d probably have me on my back, right there on the table in the restaurant in less than a second flat. The Raven would not be deflowering this girl. No way.

  “Sounds like you were homeschooled.”

  “I was.”

  Raven’s eyes widened and his light-brown skin turned a shade lighter. “My bad.” He placed his hand on top of mine. “I didn’t mean to offend you.”

  His rough hand melted my skin, rendering my arm useless. “It’s okay. No offense taken.” His hand lingered on mine a little too long, but I didn’t mind. “It sucke
d. Believe me. And my parents still try and run my life.”

  “I see. Well, Lexi, sounds like you’re a good person who’s been brought up the right way.” He finished off the last bite of his taco.

  “Maybe. But I’m dying to experience life. I’ll be graduating next year, and I don’t want to leave with all these regrets. It’d be nice to attend one party before I…” I stopped again, refraining from mentioning the word marriage.

  Reason number 9 - I’m totally avoiding the fact that I’m engaged.

  He wiped his hands on a paper towel, wadded it in a ball, and tossed it into the empty food basket. “So you’ve never been to a party either?”

  I shook my head.

  He pounded his fist on the table. “Damn, you are a good girl.”

  I crossed my arms and leaned back against the chair. “But I’m tired of being a good girl. I want to have some fun. I’ll be twenty-one on March 17th.”

  A big smile formed across his face. “That’s spring break, baby. I may be—”

  “The Raven’s in the house!” A large husky guy hollered and hooted as several more dudes trailed in behind him. They had to be part of the university football team based on their size.

  “Hey man, what’s up?” Raven clasped hands with the guy and they exchanged a manly hand shake.

  They crowded around the table, some of them shooting a quick glance in my direction while the others didn’t even notice me. I recoiled further into the chair, feeling the rise of testosterone in the air within the small restaurant. Never had I been surrounded by so much muscle, sweat and eye candy.

  I may need another drink to cool down.

  Raven talked with a few of the guys, and slowly they dispersed sitting in various booths. “Sorry about that, what were we talking about?”

  I thought it was best to not re-enter the previous conversation so I asked him, “Are you from Fort Worth?”

  “No. I’m originally from New Orleans, but we moved here after Hurricane Katrina and decided to stay. And you?”

  “I’m from Dallas and I’ve lived in the metroplex my whole life.” I scooped up the remains of my taco with a chip. “Alongside with my sister and twin brother.”

  “You’re a twin?”

  “Yes. We’re not identical, though.” I shoved the chip in my mouth.