Friends vs. Family

by C. L. Stone

  I gasped as we surfaced, squirming against him. “Hey,” I said. “We’re supposed to be racing.”

  “No way,” he said. “If I’m going down, you’re going with me.” He re-gripped my waist and splashed backward into the water, sinking.

  I fidgeted to get out of his grip. Those green eyes sparked, locking on me and I stilled. I didn’t completely understand the look we shared together in that moment but it was the happiest I could ever remember being. Under the water with him, my parents had faded away from my mind. The Academy’s heavy secrets disappeared. All of the worries about school and stress melted away. Here was Kota. My friend. Holding me. Laughing with me. The other guys were close by and watching over us and blocked out the rest of the world from our own little place here in Nathan’s backyard. I didn’t want to be anywhere else.

  Kota beeped my nose with a forefinger and released me, floating to the surface. I drifted up next to him.

  When he broke out of the water, my breath caught at how the water rippled away from his broad, tapered shoulders and down his long, defined torso. Droplets traced along his high cheekbones, curving under the angle of his jaw.

  His head tilted, as if he didn’t understand why I was staring. I released a laugh to break the tension. He laughed with me, shaking his head.

  “I told you she cheats,” Victor called to us from the other side of the pool. “But that’s awesome. I get the favor, now.”

  I sighed, grinning. “What do you want?”

  His fire eyes lit up. “I’ll tell you later.”

  There were several more races. The final count: Victor’s one favor plus a promise to wash his car for him, Gabriel won my clip for three months, Luke wanted to go shopping with me next time we were going and I was shocked he fully expected there to be a next time, North won one day where I was to work alongside him at the diner, Nathan won every strawberry from my smoothies for the rest of my life, Silas wanted a hug, and Kota made me promise to sit next to him at lunch for the next three weeks. I won squat, but I did like the hug.

  The last race was who was going to make dinner that night. We all gathered on one side of the pool. By now they all knew I openly cheated and they all worked together to stop me. This time I simply had to not be last. The last person was chef for the evening.

  Somehow I ended up in the middle. They forced me to wait until someone actually shouted “go” before we took off. Little did they know I was going to play fair. It was part of the strategy. I expected to throw them all off thinking I was getting ready to tackle them and instead zip across the water.

  North counted off and when he shouted “go”, I ducked under the water, putting my full effort into the strokes. Several people pulled ahead but Nathan and Kota kept pace with me. It confused me because I knew out of all the swimmers there, those two were the fastest. Kota was the only one who could match Nathan for speed.

  When we crossed the halfway point and we were almost at the end. Kota flung himself sideways and snatched me around the waist. This caught me off-guard and I sputtered, losing the air I had in my lungs. He quickly hauled me out of the water.

  “Ugh!” I shouted at him, smacking at his arms around my stomach. “Cheat... cheat...”

  “Yup,” he said.

  Nathan stopped, too. He gathered my legs, holding them as I tried to kick to break free. “Ready?” he said.

  “On three,” Kota said.

  “Wha--” I gasped but I was already in the air as they held me over their heads.

  “One, two, three,” Kota spit out.

  They tossed me into the air. I splashed back into the starting end of the pool on my side. I cleanly touched bottom and drifted to the surface. I swished my legs to keep afloat, laughing.

  All of the boys perched themselves on the edge of the pool, wearing matching grins.

  They had chosen who was going to cook that night.

  After I managed to crawl out of the pool, I was handed a towel. They gathered under Nathan’s back porch. There was a collection of outdoor benches and poolside chairs clustered into a circle under the overhanging roof. A wicker fan squeaked as it worked, spinning over our heads.

  I sat between Nathan and Kota on one of the bench seats. Gabriel was telling Kota and the others about the day.

  I buried my face behind Nathan’s shoulder when Gabriel mentioned the waiter who had openly flirted with me and how I had reacted at the end.

  “What did he say to you anyway?” Gabriel asked.

  I blushed, and picked my head up. “He said you were all nice and wanted us to come back soon,” I said sarcastically.

  They all laughed but Kota dropped an arm around my neck, tugging me to lean against him. “No really,” he said. “What did he say?”

  I sighed. “He said when I get over being told what to do by...” I hesitated because I didn’t want to say it out loud, “by losers to call him.”

  “Huh,” Victor said, grunting. He readjusted himself in a green lawn chair across from us. His fire eyes flickered.

  “I don’t know what he meant,” I said. How could some stranger ever understand me or what the others were doing for me and continued to do for me?

  “I do,” Victor said. He folded his arms across his chest as he sat back in the chair. “It’s partially my fault, I guess. I was pushing you to get things you really wanted.”

  “Naw,” Nathan said. “He was flirting with her from the start.”

  “He only got persistent after I ordered for her. It doesn’t excuse his behavior. I wasn’t beating her or belittling her so he needed to back off.”

  “Did you tip him?” Kota asked.

  Victor frowned. “Yes.”

  There was a collective tilting of heads, eyebrows going up.

  “Why would you do that?” Kota asked.

  “I left him an exact fifteen percent,” he said simply. “He was probably expecting nothing. Instead I wanted to let him know he was just the help, and nothing more to us.” His smoldering fire eyes met mine, and it rattled me. “I’ve never done that to anyone in my life.”

  Runway

  When we had dried off enough that we weren’t going to drip all over Nathan’s house, we went inside so we could change. I stood near the table in the kitchen with the others as Gabriel and Victor snuck off to change first.

  My limbs were taunt and I started to lean my cheek against Silas’s bicep as I was feeling drowsy. He dropped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me so I could lean my head against his chest.

  “I can’t believe you got her all this,” Kota said, calculating the bags on the table. “I thought Victor said you would take her shopping. I didn’t know he meant buy her the mall.”

  My face flamed. It was too much! Why didn’t Victor or the others stop?

  “She didn’t have anything,” Nathan said. “We weren’t adding to stuff she already had. She was starting over. Besides, Gabriel picked it all out.”

  North’s eyes fell on the Victoria’s Secret bags. “All of it?”

  There was a rattling at the bathroom door and Gabriel strolled out wearing dark blue Levi jeans and a green V-neck shirt. There were new green studs in his lobes, the usual three black rings remained at the upper part of his ear. He clapped his hands together and tugged one of the bags closer to peek inside. “In this pile somewhere is what Sang is wearing tonight.”

  I blinked at him, blushing. “Tonight?”

  He laughed. “You’ve gotta show off, Trouble. They’re going to want to see it.” He shifted through the bags. “Find yourself some underwear.”

  The others disassembled to go change. Victor came out wearing a pair of Calvin Klein jeans and a red Polo shirt. He raided Nathan’s fridge for another coffee and snapped it open. He slipped up next to me, handing me the bottle. I took a couple of sips and passed it back for him to finish. I reveled in the idea that he knew what I needed before I knew.

  Gabriel found what he wanted and gathered the bags. “Ready?” he asked me.

  I co
llected a Victoria's Secret bag and waited with him outside the bathroom. Luke strolled out, wearing a fresh pair of jeans and a towel twisted around his blond hair, no shirt. He smiled at me as Gabriel went into the bathroom to put the bags down on the counter.

  “Going to let him dress you?” Luke asked. “Can I help?”

  “Get out of here,” Gabriel barked at him.

  Luke winked at me and poked me in the stomach to make me jump. I smirked, swatting at his hand. He laughed and walked off, rubbing the towel at his head.

  Gabriel dragged me inside the bathroom and shut the door. He dug out one of the shorter black skirts from the bags and splayed it out on the counter. It had lace layers on the outside. I remembered it because he had asked me to spin when I tried it on and the lace material feathered up as I moved.

  He hung up a more modest black t-shirt with quarter sleeves and a hot pink stripe across the stomach. “Okay,” he said. “Put on the underwear and the skirt and shirt. Call me back in here when you’re done. I’ll wait outside.”

  “What are we doing?” I asked. Couldn’t I just put it on and throw some shoes on and go?

  “It’s runway time,” he said. He patted me on the cheek. “We’re going to show the guys your new look.”

  I bit my lip as he left. I made sure to lock the door behind him just in case he decided to pop his head in.

  I picked out a pair of black boy-cut panties with hot pink hearts all over them and one of the black bras. I squeezed on the skirt and tried my best to slip the shirt on without getting it too wet. My hair was still damp.

  When I had it on, I unlocked the door and opened it a crack, calling out for Gabriel. He filled the doorway, blocking Luke and Victor as they peered in from over his shoulder. Gabriel shut the door in their faces and cursed at them before turning on me. His eyes glided over my body and his face lit up.

  “Yeah,” he said. “That’s hot.”

  “Are you sure I should wear this over to Kota’s?” I asked. It seemed a little more dressed up than I was expecting for the evening.

  “It’s perfect,” he said. “Stop worrying.” He dropping a small duffle bag onto the counter and he searched it for a hairbrush and blow dryer. The blue plastic of the blow dryer had “Coleman” written on it in black permanent ink and looked ancient. “Sit,” he said, snapping his fingers at the toilet.

  I perched on the closed toilet seat and let him brush out and blow dry my hair. He applied some leave-in conditioner with a heady scent that made me want to sneeze. He added volume to my hair, brushed it straight, and removed what little wavy curls I had. He dug out a single black bobby pin to tuck locks of hair behind my ear and out of my eyes on one side. When he was satisfied, he backed away, head tilting as he considered his work.

  “Stand up,” he commanded.

  I stood and he had me perch on top of the cabinet this time. He fished out a pair of thigh high socks from one of the clothing bags and opened the box. He tenderly lifted my foot, placing my heel on his thigh as he rolled and readied the sock and slipped it over my foot. I was blushing, embarrassed that it really felt like he was dressing me.

  He smoothed his palms over my thighs when the socks were on, as if testing if they might unroll or slide down. I watched his face as he did it, looking so serious like he had a vision of what this would look like in the end and he was working so hard to make sure it happened. I was breathless, not wanting to disappoint him.

  A soft knocking rattled the door in the frame. “Hurry up, you all,” Luke said. “We want to see.”

  “Fuck off,” Gabriel said. He opened a box of high heeled boots. He unzipped the side of one, tucking fingers around my ankles to push my toes into the shoes.

  I gripped the side of the counter to hang on as he angled my feet in and zipped up.

  When they were on, he planted a palm on either side of my hips. “Hop down,” he said.

  I let him pick me up and place me on the floor. I wobbled in the heels.

  “Step back,” he said.

  I did with my palms pressed to my thighs, fingering the lace of the skirt and trying not to sway in the boots.

  His lips parted, his eyes losing the determination, and simply brightened into that crystal blue. He made a low whistle. “Perfect.”

  “Gabriel...”

  He went to his bag, pulling out a tube of lip gloss and a small, brown, unidentifiable bottle. He placed the bottle on the counter and opened up the lip gloss. He pointed the brush tip toward my lips. “Pretend you’re kissing me,” he said, smirking.

  A giggle escaped my mouth but I tried to pout my lips at him, unsure of what he wanted.

  He laughed. “Fuck me, you’ve never kissed shit.”

  “Hey!”

  He squeezed my cheeks together until I was making a fish face. He applied the lip gloss. He mimicked a move with his lips like to press my lips together and I did. He rewarded me with a pleased smile. “One more thing.” He threw the lip gloss back into the bag and picked up the bottle of liquid on the counter. He held it up for me. “I think this is you.”

  I lifted an eyebrow at him, unsure of what he was talking about.

  He uncorked the bottle and held it close to my face. “What do you think?”

  I blinked in surprise at him but he held it up toward my nose. I breathed in a fragrance; a soft musk with a fruit and sweet undertone. Just the scent of it left me feeling excited and soothed at the same time. “I love it.”

  He beamed, picking up my wrist to get me to hold it up. He dabbed the perfume onto his fingers, dropping some on each of my wrists and then at my neck.

  “Forgive me,” he said. He leaned in to me close enough to put his nose to my neck and breathed in. When he drew back, his eyes rolled in his head and he sighed. “Oh yeah. That’s it.”

  “Where did you get it?” I asked quietly.

  “I made it.”

  I tilted my head at him. “You? You make perfume?” Is that why he often smelled different every time I came near him? Did he experiment?

  He smiled. “Sang, you don’t know the half of it.” He brushed his fingers through my hair again, nearly combing the new fragrance into it. He made me twirl once more. When I finished, he nodded, satisfied. “I’m going to step out and close the door. I’m going to pull those bozos in the hallway back and get them in the kitchen. Don’t come out until I come to get you. Okay?”

  “Okay.”

  He winked at me and had me stand behind the door so the others couldn’t peek in. He stepped outside, cursing at Luke who tried to wriggle past him.

  As I waited for Gabriel, I checked myself in the mirror. The girl that stared back was a surreal look-a-like from how I looked this morning. My hair was the same chameleon color, straighter and silky. I had the same small nose and the same green eyes. The lip gloss was a tea rose pink, and matched the blush that swept over my cheeks and nose. The skirt’s lace swayed when I wobbled on the heels. Still, it was moderately conservative. With the socks high on my thighs, I was only showing maybe four inches of my skin. The style was playful and cute. There was something else in the black as well, and the boots. I wanted to say dangerous. Was that who I was?

  Gabriel popped his head back in. “You ready?”

  I released a puff of air. “No,” I said, but I moved forward anyway. I wanted to get this over with.

  Gabriel walked ahead of me, blocking my entrance into the kitchen. I spotted North and Silas first from over Gabriel’s shoulder. They were leaning against the far wall, heads tucked together as they talked. They turned their eyes on us, and they smirked in a way that told me they had seen this a hundred times before. Gabriel liked to make an entrance with his live dolls.

  Gabriel side stepped.

  I tiptoed forward to stand next to him, my eyes on the gray tiled kitchen floor. No matter how I tried, the smile wouldn’t leave my face. I resisted the urge to touch my lip, afraid of smudging the lip gloss.

  A gasp drew my curiosity and I glanced up.

&
nbsp; Heads were tilted, eyes were wide, mouths were open, all except Gabriel, who grinned like a madman.

  At first I was worried they were horror struck that such a plain girl was all dressed up and that I looked ridiculous. Silas swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing and his lips parting again, his eyes narrowing on my boots and up again to the clothes and my face. Victor’s eyes erupted into a wildfire, sweeping over and over again along my body. Nathan whistled in a low tone. Luke’s head tilted in the other direction, and remained perfectly still as he stared. North roughed his fingers through his hair and away from his forehead. Kota’s cheeks were red and he mumbled something but with my heart thundering in my ears I couldn’t catch it.

  Gabriel was beaming. He hooked an arm around my neck to pull me close. “That’s the best reaction I’ve gotten out of them yet,” he said. “We should have picked you up a long time ago.”

  Kota swallowed. “I’m not sure she should wear that to school. If Danielle wanted your clothes before, she’ll rip them from your body, now.”

  “School?” North asked. “I don’t know if I want her leaving this house.”

  Time OFF For Good Behavior

  The guys collected their bags and my book bag to walk over to Kota’s house. The new clothes were to remain on Nathan’s table for now. Gabriel only took out pajamas for me that evening and a set of shorts and a t-shirt for the next morning. I wasn’t sure how Gabriel took over the reins of what I wore but it seemed so important to him and I didn’t have the heart to question it. Part of me was grateful. I was always unsure what was the right thing to wear and Gabriel’s decisions lightened my burdened mind. I already felt guilty that Victor bought the clothes. Letting Gabriel make decisions about them eased that. They weren’t my clothes. They were ours. Sort of.

  The skirt did feel amazing. The lace tickled my thighs when I walked.

  Gabriel wanted to walk over in front of Danielle’s house to parade me like a model in case she was watching. Kota and the others didn’t want to egg her on.