A loud knock on Charlie’s window makes her jump back and shriek. Paris is outside, grinning like a maniac.
“Holy shit.” She places a hand on her chest.
“Come on, Troy. Save sex in the car for the way back home,” the idiot shouts.
She rolls her eyes at me. “Let me guess. That’s Paris.”
“Yep, that’s him.” I pat her thigh. “Come on. We’d better go before more people start to think we’re doing what he said we were.”
I get out of the car first, sprinting to circle around it and help Charlie out. Paris and his date are waiting for us by the curb. After introductions are made, we walk together to Andreas and Danny’s apartment. Even before we reach the front door, we can hear the loud music echoing in the hallway. This isn’t a dorm building, but because it’s on campus property, most of the residents are students at Rushmore.
Paris and his date enter the party first, but just as Charlie and I are about to cross the threshold, she grabs my arm. “Oh no. We forgot the head.”
“No we didn’t, babe. While you were getting ready, I dropped it off. Danny is in the know. He’ll place the head in the fridge and signal us.”
“I wish Fred were here to see this.”
“I’d have invited him if Andy didn’t have an issue with your friend,” I say.
“I know.”
She takes my hand, and we head inside.
* * *
Twenty minutes after we arrive at the party, Danny gives us the two-thumbs-up signal. The place is full but not completely packed to the gills. But most importantly, Andreas isn’t drunk out of his mind yet. We want him lucid for this.
“Hey, Andy, we’re out of Perrier,” I say.
“There’s more in the fridge,” Danny pipes up from the other side of the counter.
Charlie gets her camera ready.
Andreas turns to the fridge. “You and your fucking Perrier, Troy. I swear to Go—” He jumps back, almost falling on his ass. “Motherfucker. Jane!”
I move closer, getting a prime view of Andreas’s panicked face. I bet he looks ashen under his makeup.
“What’s Andy freaking out about?” Paris pushes him out of the way. “Holy crap. That’s freaky.” He pulls the prop from the fridge. “Dude, is this your sister?”
I flatten my lips, trying not to laugh. Now that I got used to the sight of Jane’s severed head, it doesn’t bother me as much anymore.
“It sure is,” Charlie replies for me. “Hey, Andreas. Say cheese.” She points the camera at him and takes several pictures.
Still stunned, he doesn’t lash out at Charlie like I thought he might. Instead, he turns to me, wide-eyed. “What the hell, Troy? That was a sick joke. I’ll have nightmares for days. I need a drink.” Fumbling through the kitchen, he opens several cabinets until he finds a bottle of Patrón, something he usually hides at parties. He might come from money, but he’s stingy as fuck.
Charlie walks over to me, giggling. “Oh my God. That was so epic.”
“Did you get everything, babe?”
“Oh yeah. I got the moment on video and then several pictures. Man, Jane is going to love this.”
I watch Charlie text my sister, keeping a goofy smile on my face. The crazy feeling in my chest seems to expand. The words Charlie told me in the car make total sense. It’s a sweet agony to stare at her and keep my hands to myself when all I want to do is kiss and love her.
Man, I have it bad.
Unable to resist the temptation any longer, I wrap my arms around her waist and bring her back flush to my chest. Leaning close to her ear, I whisper, “I wouldn’t mind going home now and having my wicked way with you.”
“Troy, we just got here,” she replies feebly.
I bite her earlobe. “So? We pranked Andy. That was the highlight of the party.”
“When you put it that way,” she whispers, leaning against me. “I have to use the restroom first.”
Reluctantly, I let her go. While she’s away, I step into a conversation with Paris and Puck about today’s game. It’s easy to lose track of time with those guys. I’m laughing about a joke Paris told us when suddenly, someone yanks my arm, turning me around.
“Charlie?” I frown, noticing her furious expression. “What’s going on?”
“What the hell, Troy! I can’t believe you would take Ben bungee jumping behind my back!”
“Calm down. Why are you yelling at me? He had a great time.”
“Really? You call this a great time?” She shoves her phone in my face. I have to step back and pry the device from her hand to see what she’s trying to show me.
It’s a video of Ben jumping. Someone caught the whole thing, including when he lost control of his bladder. And then later, there’s a shot of him in wet pants. I can’t hear what the person who shot the video is saying, but the name of the video makes it clear that it’s nothing kind: Watch this idiot pee in his pants while bungee jumping. HILARIOUS. If the headline wasn’t bad enough, the comments that follow are vile and disgusting. It makes me see red.
Charlie yanks the phone from my hand and strides away.
“Where are you going?” I follow her.
“Leave me alone, Troy.”
She bumps into someone coming in and bounces back. Fate would have it that Brooke is the one who collided with Charlie.
“Hey, where’s the fire?” she asks with an uncomfortable smile on her face.
Charlie glances at her and, before I can do anything, shoves Brooke so hard that she trips on her high heels and falls down.
“What the hell!”
I’d stop to help her up, but Charlie is already out in the hallway. I can’t let her leave in that berserk state.
“Sorry, Brooke,” I yell as I run after Charlie.
Charlie took the stairs down and is already one floor below when I catch up with her. I grab her arm, making her stop.
“Babe, please. Don’t be like that.”
She yanks free from my hold. “Don’t be like that? Troy, do you have any idea what this video will do to Ben when he sees it?”
“You don’t know if he will.”
“Oh my God, Troy. Wake up. Of course he will. Do you know how I came across this disgusting footage? Some guys were watching it and laughing like hyenas.” Angry tears roll down her cheeks, making me feel even worse than I already do.
“I’m sorry, okay? Ben was the one who suggested bungee jumping. We couldn’t have known that would happen.”
“I could have! It’s not the first time. Damn it, Troy! And how did you even get the operators to let him jump? He’s a minor.”
“He said he got your parents’ permission.”
“That’s bullshit. They wouldn’t have done that.” She throws her hands up in the air. “Ugh! I can’t talk to you right now. I have to go home.”
“I’ll take you.”
She raises her hand, halting me. “No. I’m too angry. It’s better if you leave me alone.”
I get into her personal space. “No, I’m not going to back down, Charlie. You’re acting completely irrational. You don’t need to talk to me, but I’m taking you home, and that’s final.”
She shoots daggers from her eyes, and from the way she’s clamping her jaw hard and flaring her nostrils, I know she wants to lash out again. But thankfully, she simply whirls around and continues her trajectory down the stairs.
The five-minute drive feels like an eternity. We’re seething in silence, and that will only make the resentment fester. I can’t believe she lost it like that because of the video. Yeah, it’s bad, but she could have talked to me without causing Armageddon.
She’s out of the car as soon as it stops. I stay put and let her march up to the front door and disappear inside without following. I’m too fucking angry, and if I go in, God knows what’s going to happen. I don’t want to make things worse.
I need to cool off, but sitting in the car alone won’t do, so I turn the engine on again and take off.
&nb
sp; As I drive without direction, I wonder how you can love someone so much and hate the things they do.
43
CHARLIE
I’m shaking with fury as I take the steps two at a time. I wanted to punch all those guys who were laughing, watching Ben’s video. But when I saw Troy in the footage, all my ire was redirected at him. How could he put Ben in that situation and not tell me about it? I’m so mad, I could scream.
He doesn’t follow me in the house. Smart. I can’t talk to him while I’m so consumed with rage. I hear his car peel away from the curb as soon as I bang the door shut. Once in my room, I pack an overnight bag. I can’t stay here. I have to make sure Ben is okay. And when did he and Troy become friends who hang out? Ben never told me about it, and I talk to him every day.
I should change, but I’m afraid Troy will come back, so I just hurry down the stairs and then out the door. Behind the steering wheel, I have to take a couple deep breaths to calm down. I’m glad I didn’t have time to drink more than beer at the party, and the anger has burned off all the alcohol from my system.
Traffic is madness. It usually is on Saturday, made worse thanks to Halloween. It takes me forty-five minutes to finally reach the highway to Littleton. My phone rings, and the car dashboard shows it’s Troy calling. I guess he’s home. Guilt pierces my chest. Now that I’m a bit calmer, I can see that I never gave him a chance to explain. My short-fused temper got the best of me. Shit. I even shoved Brooke, unprovoked. What a mess.
I let the call go to voice mail. I’m not ready to talk to him yet, and I probably shouldn’t while I’m driving. A new song comes on the radio, “Stay the Night” by Zedd and Hayley Williams. It hits me right in the feels. Are Troy and I meant to break?
Tears gather in my eyes, turning my vision blurry. I lean sideways, reaching for the glove compartment. I feel around for the tissue package I have in there somewhere, not daring to take my eyes off the road.
“For fuck’s sake, where is it?”
A blaring horn makes me straighten in my seat, and the last thing I see is blinding lights fast approaching.
* * *
TROY
Charlie didn’t answer the phone. That was hours ago. I’ve parked my ass on the couch and have been pounding one beer after another. Where the hell is she? I would have called Ben if it wasn’t so late. Most likely, she went to Littleton.
I still can’t believe her reaction. I get she’s protective of Ben. I’m protective of Jane too. But she didn’t give me the chance to explain. She went total psycho in the blink of an eye. I’d already known she was short-tempered—our beginning is proof of that—but hell, I hadn’t expected her to do a one-eighty on me like that.
I’m about to call it a night when my phone rings. My heart skips a beat. Despite the fact that I’m mad at Charlie, the yearning hasn’t gone away. I dive for the phone, afraid the call will go to voice mail.
“Charlie, babe, ar—”
“Troy, it’s Blake.”
My blood runs cold. What the hell?
“Where’s Charlie?” I jump from the couch, more on edge than before.
“There’s been an acci—”
“Where is she?” I’m already veering for the door.
“At Saint James.”
“How is she? Is she conscious?”
“She’s in surgery. Broke her leg.”
“I’ll be there as soon as I can. Thanks for calling me.”
“Don’t thank me. Thank Ben.” The line goes silent.
“Asshole.”
I slide behind the wheel and gun the engine. The damn beeping sound reminds me to put my seat belt on.
“Yeah, I hear ya, motherfucker.”
I click the belt in place right before I take a sharp curve, burning rubber. My heart is pumping like a factory, and my hands are already sweaty from holding the steering wheel too tight. I should be mindful of the speed limit, especially since I’ve been drinking tonight, but my need to get to Charlie as fast as I can trumps everything.
A traffic jam makes me lose my mind. No, no, no. I can’t get stuck here. I know if Charlie’s in surgery, it’ll be hours before she’s out, but that doesn’t make me less frantic.
Finally, the line of cars begins to move. I decide to take the next exit and get to the hospital via another route. The highway is usually fast, but apparently not tonight.
Another twenty maddening minutes later, I park my car in the first spot I find and then run like a madman through the parking lot. When I burst through the sliding doors of the hospital, I must be quite the sight since I’m still in full skull makeup.
“I’m looking for Charlie Fontaine,” I tell the receptionist. “She was brought in earlier an—”
“Troy?” Ben calls out.
I turn toward the sound of his voice.
He walks over and, without hesitation, gives me a hug. “I’m glad you came.”
“Thanks for letting me know. Do you know what happened?”
He steps back and wipes the tears from his cheeks. “No. We got the call and rushed here. Mom and Dad talked to the doctors away from me.”
We return to the waiting area, and I find Blake, Fred, and a curly haired brunette I haven’t met yet. Blake glowers at me but keeps his piehole shut. Fred gives me a sympathetic nod, and the girl simply stares at me blankly. I could be a ghost for all she cares. A middle-aged blonde woman with red-rimmed eyes that are filled with anguish walks over. Charlie’s mother, I guess.
“You must be Charlie’s boyfriend,” she says. “Do you know why she was driving to Littleton so late in the night?”
Her tone is accusatory, and I don’t blame her for it. But I can’t tell her why without coming across as the biggest asshole in the world. If I had followed her into the house, I wouldn’t have let her get behind the wheel.
“She was worried about Ben,” I say without elaborating why.
“Why would she be worried about him?”
“Mom, please. It’s not Troy’s fault Charlie got hurt.” Ben jumps to my defense.
Does he already know about the video?
“Is everything okay here?” a male voice asks behind me.
I turn around and lose my ground for the second time tonight. Staring at me is none other than Bill, my mom’s boyfriend.
“Dad, this is Charlie’s boyfriend,” Ben introduces us.
Anger surges within me with the confirmation that Charlie’s father has been unfaithful. I can’t fucking believe it. There’s no trace of recognition in his eyes, and it takes me a second to understand it’s because of my makeup.
“Hi, sir. My name is Troy Alexander,” I reply coldly, wondering if my answer will trigger his memory. I get nothing.
“Oh. Well, I wish I could say it’s nice to meet you, but under these circumstances, I can’t. Do you have any idea what Charlie was doing on the road?” His question doesn’t have an edge like Charlie’s mother’s did. Too bad. If it had, I could have given him an answer with a bark.
“She wanted to see Ben,” I say.
Guilt shines in the man’s eyes, and he doesn’t even remember who I am.
Asshole. But I can’t think about that now.
“How is Charlie?”
“She has a few bruises on her face thanks to the airbag, but the worst injury is her broken leg. Thank heavens,” he replies.
“How long until she’s out of surgery?”
“Another hour,” her mother replies.
“You look familiar. Have we met before?” Charlie’s father asks me, narrowing his eyes.
I know I should lie, but I’m too pissed to do so. In the moment, I want him to know who I am, consequences be damned.
“Yes, we have actually. At a restaurant in Manhattan Beach not too long ago.”
He stares at me blankly for a moment, as if he’s trying to fish out the memory from his brain. Then his eyes go rounder, his face pale. But instead of confirming it, he schools his expression again. “No, it doesn’t ring a bell. If you
’ll excuse me, I’m going to grab some coffee in the cafeteria.”
I glower at his retreating back, but after he disappears around the corner, I feel the full impact of my discovery.
Charlie’s father is having an affair with my mother. This will destroy Charlie and Ben.
I’m going to lose her.
44
TROY
I ignore Blake to the best of my ability. I don’t even know why he’s here. Charlie’s condition isn’t life-threatening, and she’s not his girlfriend. As a matter of fact, why was he even called, and who did it?
Charlie is out of surgery now, and her parents and Ben are with her. I wonder if she’ll want to see me. I lean my elbows on my knees, resting my head in my hands. If she tells me to go away, I’m going to lose my mind.
A throat clearing catches my attention.
“Charlie is asking for you,” her father tells me.
Wordlessly, I get up from my chair and follow him down the hallway. When we turn a corner, he stops in his tracks and turns to me.
“You can’t say anything to Charlie.”
“Excuse me?”
“Please. I’m begging you. I’ve decided to end things with Elaine.”
I scoff. “A little too late, don’t you think? The damage is done.”
“No, it isn’t done,” he grits out. “Tara doesn’t know about the affair, and she doesn’t need to.”
“Oh trust me, she knows.”
His face goes even paler than before. He reaches for my arm, gripping it in a tight hold. “Did you already tell her?”
Annoyed, I pull free from his grasp and reply through clenched teeth, “No, I didn’t tell her, but she suspects it. Can we go now? I’d like to see Charlie.”
He steps back, passing a hand over his face. “She’s in room 307.”
It’s clear that he doesn’t intend to walk with me. Whatever. I’d rather not be in his despicable company either.
I continue on alone, and with each step I take, my heart rate accelerates. It’s beating at a staccato rhythm by the time I reach her room. The door is open, and from the threshold, I can see her mother sitting in a chair, looking tired as hell as she rests her head on Ben’s shoulder.
Heart Stopper: Rebels of Rushmore Book One Page 24
