Not Even Close (A New Generation)

by Elizabeth Reyes

  Five

  Unexpected Rescue

  Byron

  The phone ringing just as Byron got out of the shower broke him out of his inadvertent ongoing thoughts of the little college girl. Glad for the interruption he smiled when he saw it was Gus and he answered. “Sup?”

  “You home?”

  Grabbing a pair of briefs from a drawer, Byron dropped the towel to slip them on. “Yeah.”

  “Dick. Then why aren’t you answering? We’ve been knocking for a while.”

  “I was in the shower. I just got out.”

  After throwing on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt he hurried down the stairs of his apartment that sat above the now closed auto shop. He opened up the shop doors and Gus and Nando walked in bearing gifts in the form of a twelve-pack and a pipe. He let them into the shop, took a beer but passed on the weed. “Gives me the munchies,” he explained. “I’m in training right now.”

  “To fight?” Gus asked wide eyed.

  “Nah, just to get in shape.” Byron touched his abs over his shirt. “I was getting kind of soft.” He lifted the beer bottle. “Even this I’m trying to cut back on, but I haven’t had one in a while. One’s not gonna kill me.”

  “There you go.” Nando tossed his keys at Byron who reacted just in time to catch them. “We got ourselves our designated driver.”

  “That’s right,” Gus said despite Byron already shaking his head. “Only reason we were just gonna kick it here tonight is ’cause we’re both too tight to spring for Ubers all night and we both felt like throwing some back.”

  “So just stay here,” Byron said tossing Nando his keys back. “I’m not going anywhere tonight.”

  “C’mon, man. Don’t be like that,” Gus pointed at Byron. “Didn’t you just say you needed to get laid the other day.”

  Byron frowned remembering how he’d muttered the comment under his breath a little too loudly the day he’d gotten back to the shop after being annoyed over the whole freshman chick with the meathead at the gym. “Maybe I already did.”

  Not really, but these two idiots didn’t need to know the details of his sex life.

  “So, do it again. You have been kind of an irritable ass lately.”

  Before Byron could retort to that, Nando chimed in. “Frat Row Friday.” He pointed at Byron then Gus. “Easiest way to get laid. Drunk college girls are a shoo-in.”

  As the instant thoughts of the one random college girl who’d invaded his mind so much lately assaulted him, Byron shook his head even more adamantly than he had earlier. “Hell no.”

  “Why not?” Gus and Nando asked in unison.

  Their comical expressions almost made Byron smile. Almost. “Because I’m too old for that shit.”

  “You just graduated last year, ass.” Gus pointed out. “A lot of those girls might even be older than you if they’re working on their masters and shit. It’s easy to tell which ones are fresh out of high school. Just stay away from those and you’ll be fine.”

  More assaulting thoughts of the one thing he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about since he walked into the fucking gym today hit him again. Still shaking his head, Nando lifted his beer in the air before Byron could retort.

  “I know, I know. If you’re gonna be all fun police about it, you can just drop us off. All the parties at Frat Row are within walking distance from one another.” He turned to Gus who was already smiling big. “We’ll split an Uber back and crash here tonight.”

  “ESU?” Byron asked taking a swig of his beer.

  “Yeah,” Nando said with a soured expression. “I ain’t Ubering all the way back from SC.”

  “I can do that.” Byron downed the last of his beer before adding. “I can drop you off but I ain’t doing frat parties.”

  “Man, you’re wack!” Gus shook his head taking a drink from his bottle then added. “I’ve seen losers way older than you lurk around at those parties.”

  “Exactly,” Byron said standing up. “Losers.”

  “Dick! I said way older than you.”

  Once again thoughts of that chick were in his head. Already she likely thought him a gawking creeper. Running into her at one of these things would for sure seal whatever first creepy impression he’d already made on her. Not that it mattered really but fuck that. Not only was Byron older than most of the guys at those parties since it was mostly freshman and sophomores, but he also knew he looked older—at least a lot bigger—even back when he was still in school. He knew he’d stand out like those losers Gus was talking about for sure. Besides not wanting to come across as an even bigger douche, he did have an image to uphold being Beast’s younger brother, and part owner of a shop that got so much media attention now.

  Heading upstairs to his apartment, Byron let Gus and Nando know he’d be down in a few as soon as he changed into some jeans. A few minutes later they were all in his car. Gus and Nando sat in the back seat as if Byron were their Uber driver.

  Glancing up at the rearview mirror Byron smirked as his two eager riders gawked out the window at the girls in the car next to theirs. By the time they reached Frat Row, the parties were in full swing. Traffic was a bitch, but there’d been no shortage of wisecracks the whole way there, so Byron was actually in a good mood instead of his usual temperamental one. It was a long stretch of frat houses and of course Gus and Nando wanted to hit one of the ones furthest down. Despite the bumper-to-bumper traffic, mostly college kids cruising the frat parties and many making traffic worse as they zig-zagged through the cars, didn’t stop Byron from laughing at some of Nando’s stupid cracks.

  That is until Byron started doing double takes whenever he thought he saw her. In each case though it wasn’t even close. Just someone with a similar stature or highlighted long hair. It wasn’t until the third or fourth one that his thought process began to feel annoying, if not alarming. Each heart spiking instance when he thought he saw her, was followed by the same thought or even muttered words, not even close.

  Close to what? She was just another a cute—okay, hot girl—with a sweet smile. One who he knew nothing about except that as innocent, sweet and shy as his first impression of her had been, Byron knew firsthand now she had it in her to turn that sweet smile, wicked sexy.

  “We’ll just get out here,” Gus said opening the back door. “This way you can turn off the next side street instead of having to sit in this mess the whole way.”

  Byron turned in time to see Nando jump out after Gus. “Thanks, man,” Nando said leaning back into the window. “Just leave the backdoor unlocked like last time. This way we won’t wake you since we’ll probably get back late.”

  Nodding, Byron started moving since the line of cars in front of him finally started inching along. Taking in the party scene all around him, he shook his head with a smirk. Nothing had changed since his days of frat party hopping. It was still fairly early, for a college party scene anyway, and already there was drunk young girls stumbling around.

  Like he’d been doing earlier, one particular drunken girl leaning on some loud dude had him doing a double take. Only it was for a different reason this time. There wasn’t any resemblance from this chick to her, but he thought he recognized her from somewhere. Since the traffic was at a halt again, Byron took the moment to continue to peer. He’d always hated that feeling of not being able to place someone and there was something about this girl that he could swear he knew her.

  Mostly he had too many friends and co-workers who had sisters and shit around this age. The girl looked drunk, and the loud guy with her seemed a little too excited about that. Not only that, but the other guy with him also kept leaning over and whispering shit in her ear. The guy holding her was doing so as if he was with her. Then he said something to the other guy, and they switched places. Now the other guy was talking so close into her face he pecked her lips.

  It wasn’t until she jerked her head back and looked around that Byron got a better look at her and it hit him. Except for the time he’d seen the little
college girl at the gym with the meathead this girl had been at her side all the other times.

  “Ah, hell.” He turned around to see if he could merge into the next lane, closer to where the threesome was standing.

  What the fuck was he doing? For all he knew this was perfectly consensual. God knew he’d been to enough of these parties to know the kind of shit that happens all the time and how willing too many of these freaky young college girls were willing to go along with this. But something about the way she’d jerked her head back and seemed to look around apprehensively, made him think this wasn’t the case here.

  Byron had finally managed to merge over to the lane closest to the parked cars on the side of the road. Despite his being torn about just driving on or stopping, that all changed when he heard male voices yelling out for Jake and Conner. Glancing up at where the yelling was coming from, he saw two other guys looking out a second-floor window of one of the frat houses.

  “Get her up here!”

  Holding the wobbly chick by the arm Jake or Conner, whichever he was, started her toward the house. Instinctively, Byron swerved into the break in cars and blocked the driveway to get out of the traffic. His tires skidding when he hit the brakes had the two guys turning back in his direction.

  Pushing the ignition button, Byron jumped out of the car not even sure what he’d say or do. All he knew was he had to at least find out if in fact this threesome—or whatever else they had planned upstairs—was something this girl was consenting to.

  “Hey.”

  They all peered at him curiously but then glanced around as if his sudden arrival might not have anything to do with them. The crowd around the area was so that he very well could’ve been talking to someone else. Then he saw it. The girl’s eyes widened and despite her clearly inebriated state, she appeared to recognize him suddenly. “You okay?”

  None of them said anything at first. While the girl seemed to understand it was her, he was speaking to, the guys still didn’t look sure. So, he pointed at her. “You. Are you okay? You need a ride or something?”

  “What are you stupid?” the guy holding her arm sneered. “She’s with us.”

  “I wasn’t talking to you, asshole.” Byron turned back to the girl. “You sure you’re okay?”

  It was so subtle he almost missed it, but her head shook just slightly and then she hiccupped. “I know you,” she slurred then took a step forward jerking her arm away from the guy a little too hard and she toppled down onto the grass.

  Rushing to help her up before the guys could, Byron muttered under his breath hoping neither of the guys would protest. Not that either of them was in any hurry to help her up. Instead, they stood there looking annoyed. Almost as if she suddenly didn’t seem worth the effort. Especially now that it appeared, they were being confronted about their intentions.

  The girl glanced up at him pouting, as her eyes flooded with tears before hiccupping again. “I lost my- hiccup . . . friend.”

  Byron helped her up, his insides tightening at the thought of what friend she meant, and what kind of trouble she might be in. He held her by her arm. “I’ll help you find her.”

  Once on her feet, she dusted herself off with one hand while wiping tears away with the back of her other hand. All the while the hiccups were rampant.

  Glaring at the guys who seemed to be pondering whether to stay and argue or walk away. Byron had one staunch sentence for them he delivered with undeniable finality. “Get the fuck out of my sight.”

  Hesitating for a moment, one of them almost began to say something until the other one nudged him and they both walked away. Byron glanced up at the window that was no surprise, empty now.

  “Did you just meet those two assholes?”

  She nodded and now that he was this close to her, he could see just how glossed over her eyes really were. She stood there swaying in place, hiccupping, and glanced around looking completely out of it. Muttering under his breath again, because he sure as fuck hadn’t thought this through, he glanced back at his car blocking the driveway.

  “What’s your name?” he asked still looking in the direction of his car wondering where he might find a better place to move it to.

  He turned to her after hearing her sneeze. “Bless you.” She still looked completely out of it but now she peered at him strangely. “So, what’s your name?”

  “I just told you. It’s Sochee.”

  Confused for a moment it suddenly dawned on him why she was peering at him so strangely. After hearing her clarify her strange name he realized she hadn’t sneezed. Her name just sounded like she had.

  Refraining from chuckling he smirked. “Ah. Sorry, I’ve never heard the name before I thought . . .” He shook his head. “Never mind. Listen . . . Sochee. I need to move my car before it gets towed. But I don’t think you should stay here all by yourself.” Starting toward his car he tugged her along gently but held her firmly. “Come with me and we’ll park it somewhere then we can walk back and look for your friend.”

  She started to say something but then nearly stumbled again so he gripped her arm a little tighter. “Careful,” he muttered garnering all the patience he could muster.

  Fucking hell.

  Six

  The Douche and the Liar

  Vannah

  This had been such a bad idea. Joseph rushed alongside Vannah and she was actually grateful for his clinginess now. She could use a second pair of eyes.

  “How far could she have gone?” Swinging the door open to one of the many bedrooms in the house, Vannah gasped when she saw the half-naked couple on the bed. “Sorry.”

  As awkward as the moment was, Vannah still glanced around in case Xochitl was passed out anywhere in the room. The girl hadn’t been kidding when she said she was a lightweight. Not that Vannah wasn’t also. She’d only ever been buzzed once before in her life. But somehow her friend went from mildly buzzed like Vannah to falling down drunk in a matter of a couple of hours. Vannah had left her for two minutes to go find a bottled water and she’d disappeared. Clarissa hadn’t been able to make it tonight and Silvia’s sister got them the booze, but after hooking up with her ex, Silvia had taken off with him and they’d been on their own for the rest of the night.

  Closing the door, Vannah trudged ahead on a mission. With her heart at her throat, her parents’ warnings loomed in the air, about how dangerous it was to get drunk at these college parties. She was only grateful now that she hadn’t drank nearly as fast as her nervous friend. Whatever buzz Vannah had begun to get, was long gone now that she was growing more and more panicked with every passing minute that she couldn’t find her friend.

  “Xochitl!” She called out as she neared the stairwell in case she was downstairs somewhere searching for Vannah as well.

  “Is that the wasted girl you were with earlier?”

  Vannah’s eyes zoomed in on the girl who was doing the asking downstairs. “Yes! Have you seen her?”

  “She just left with some guy.”

  Remembering the pushy guy who’d been trying to throw the moves on Xochitl earlier, Vannah turned to Joseph wide eyed. “Oh my God.” Turning back to the girl downstairs who’d gone back to dancing, Vannah rushed down the stairs “Excuse me!” She pushed her way through the crowd. “Excuse me.” The girl turned to her again barely slowing the hip swaying. “What guy? Which way did she go?”

  “Some horndog who was all over her,” the girl said loudly over the blaring music. “He took her that way.” She pointed at the front door. “It was so obvious he wanted in her pants bad. But if you hurry you might catch them.”

  Without even thanking her, Vannah rushed toward the door even more glad that Joseph was still sticking with her. Earlier she’d been annoyed by his overly eagerness. Now she might need him if this horndog Xochitl left with got confrontational.

  Blasting through the front door, Vannah jerked her neck in every direction of the crowded front yard and sidewalks. “Hey!” She yelled when she saw them. The guy was
helping her very wobbly friend into a car and Vannah practically sprinted toward them, glad she was so used to wearing such high heels. “Hey, you! Where do you think you’re taking my—”

  Nearly choking when the guy turned to her and she saw who it was, she was rendered speechless.

  “Vannah I’ve been looking all over for you.”

  Her drunk friend’s slurred words pulled Vannah out of her stupor as she turned to respond to her. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”

  Refusing to look at Byron because the girl’s comments about the horndog all over Xochitl were suddenly not just maddening anymore. The very thought was doing something else to her now. A part of her felt incredibly disgusted and disappointed, but another part felt unbelievably jealous. Only she’d die before she’d let this jerk, she’d obsessed so much over and clearly had been way off about, notice. Instead, she kept her eyes on Xochitl. “Where are you going?”

  Hiccupping loudly, Xochitl giggled. “We were- hiccup! – going to go park – hiccup! - and – hiccup!” Covering her mouth with one hand, even as Byron held her by her elbow, Xochitl pinched her nose with the other and inhaled deeply holding her breath.

  “We were just gonna—”

  “I don’t need to know what else you were planning on doing.” The harshness of her words toward Byron surprised Vannah, but she knew it wasn’t just because he’d been planning on taking advantage of her drunk friend. “Whatever it was, it’s not happening now.” Vannah hurried to help Xochitl out of the car again, refusing to even look at him.