by S. K. Rose
Once again, his body drops lifelessly to the ground. “HEAD SHOT!” I screech as I toss a handful of skittles at the screen. Getting to my feet, I shake my hips and perform an unladylike victory dance. “Take that you dick sneeze!” I spin around and bend over my chair, twerking at the screen in my spandex underwear.
There’s muffled voices just outside the door. I flip around and plant my ass in the chair, kick my feet up on the bed, and act casual. The door swings open and Nessa floats in like she’s on cloud nine. Closing the door behind her, she leans against it with a dreamy look in her eyes.
“I just bumped into Noah Williams in the hall, esta bien bueno.” She sighs as she fans herself. “I definitely call dibs on him, so don’t even think about it, pendeja.” She marches over to our shared whiteboard, and in the only free spot, she writes “#NoahisNessas.” It’s the last hashtag underneath a list of about thirty other similar hashtags. My favorite would have to be “#Mr.DarcyisNessas.” We both read Pride and Prejudice for a lit assignment, and she decided to claim him as her top broody book boyfriend.
The greedy bitch has not only claimed half the Alpha Phi fraternity but also my favorite fictional character.
I raise my eyebrow. “Didn’t you have sex with Noah a few months ago?”
She looks at me like I’ve lost my mind. “As if I could ever forget being pinned underneath that delicious piece of—” Her hand flies to her forehead. “Holy shit, you’re right.” She pauses and then giggles. “Oh well, he’s still mine.” She takes a few more steps into our shared dorm but stops when she gets a better look at me.
Her gaze drops to the giant bowl of candy wedged between my thighs, the skittles littered in a circle around me, and back up to the giant knot of hair on my head.
“What’s uh...” Her finger points to me and my sugary mess. “What’s this? What’s happening here?”
“Nothing,” I snap.
Her arms cross. “Really? Nothing? Is that why there’s a lollipop stuck to the side of your head, Scar?”
I reach up and feel the sticky candy nestled in my rat’s nest. After a few tugs, it pops out, taking a few strands of my hair with it. “I was saving it for later.” I shrug, trying to turn the chair and face away from her knowing stare.
Her arm snakes out as she spins me back to face her. “I thought you were moving past this. Why don’t you just talk to him?”
“Why? He’s an asshole, and I’ve got better things to do with my life.”
“Like refuse to shower and fatten yourself up with buckets of candy?”
I glare at her. “No. Like get revenge and beat his ass in the competition.”
She straightens with a sigh. “Trust me when I say that I love vengeful bitch Scarlett—she’s a hell of a lot more fun to party with but...now, it’s just getting sad. This isn’t you, and I miss the old bubbly geek Scarlett. I really think you should just try and talk to him. Don’t forget I heard you on the phone that night. I know how much you liked him.”
I shake my head fiercely from side to side. “Never.”
“You’re so fucking stubborn. Will you at least chill with the sweets and revenge? It’s unhealthy.” Her voice lowers as she turns away. “Pareses una jodia loca…”
“I know what loca means in Spanish, you slut.”
She grins over at me as she stretches out like a cat on her bed. “Go out with me tonight. Trade your suckers for jello shots, and we can have a girl’s night.”
“Can’t, Julie said I have to come over tonight. She has something she needs to tell me before our beloved family dinner.” Since mother insisted she pay for my tuition and expenses so that I could focus on my studies, there were a few strings attached. One being that once a week I have to come home for a family dinner. It wouldn’t be so bad if she didn’t spend the hour and a half picking apart my life choices and making me feel like a steaming pile of garbage.
Nessa perks up. “Ooh, think she got knocked up?”
I groan. “I sure as hell hope not.”
“Well, make sure you text me with the gossip. Okay, I’m putting my headphones in to study. Love you, bitch. I’m here if you need me, okay?”
I nod and swivel back toward my game. Karnage is nowhere in sight in the game, and for the first time in weeks, I don’t have the desire to hunt him down. Maybe Nessa is right; I need to just put him out of my head and stop with my vengeance kick. The ultimate revenge will be when I take him out in the competition and become the newest intern at EkoTek.
Until then, he doesn’t exist. I won’t think about him, I won’t off him in Tactical Heart, and I won’t breathe the same air as him. I’ve gone this long without seeing him on campus, so the next two years should be no problem.
I slide the neon pink headset over my ears and pick up the controller. If I’m going to win, I need to be focused and ready.
And I will win.
The leather couch squeaks underneath me as I reposition myself. Mother Dearest sits across from me sipping a cup of chamomile tea. Dinner won’t be ready for another half hour, but Julie asked me to get here early.
Except, Julie isn’t here yet.
So it’s just me, mom, and a room full of awkward, tension filled silence. When the front door opens, I jump up in excitement. “Thank god,” I mutter as I pull Julie into a crushing embrace.
She laughs and pulls away. “Hey, remember that thing you wanted to show me in your old room?” she asks with an excited sparkle in her eye.
I know my sister, whatever this news is, it’s big.
“Oh, yeah. Mom, we’ll be back in a few,” I tell her over my shoulder as we walk down the hall.
“Dinner will be served at six sharp,” she calls back.
With her back to Mom, Julie rolls her eyes with a smile and drags me into the bedroom. Jumping on my bed, she folds her legs underneath her and pats the blanket for me to sit across from her.
She’s physically trembling with excitement.
“Oh my god, just tell me already!”
“Close your eyes,” she demands.
“Jules…”
“Just do it!”
I close my eyes until she tells me to open them. When I do, she’s holding out her left hand and on her ring finger sits a small diamond ring. I grab her hand and yank it closer to get a better look.
“Holy shit! That’s an engagement ring.” I gasp.
I lift my gaze to find her watching me nervously. Instead of shouting, which would cause Mom to come barging in, I whisper instead, “You’re getting married, baby sis?!”
“I’m getting married!” she whisper yells back.
I bounce up and down on the mattress and clap my hands in excitement. “How did he do it? Tell me everything!”
She beams as she recounts the events of last night. “He took me to dinner, a real fancy place but said he just wanted to celebrate passing his last final. Afterwards, he asked me to take a walk with him through that beautiful park, Hillside. When we got to the pond, he gave me feed for the ducks; he knows how much I love them. When I turned around to get more, he was down on one knee! The sun was setting; it was just perfect.” Happy tears start rolling down her cheeks. “I know there’s a million reasons why I should have said no. I could have told him to wait until he was out of school, or until Mom gave me her approval, but all I could think about was how much I wanted to be his wife.”
I pull her into my arms and feel my eyes start to mist up as well. “Let me handle her. If this is what you want, then to hell with everyone else. You guys have been in love since you were kids, and I know I was slow to warm to him, but Leo has always treated you like a queen. I am so happy for you both.”
She pulls away and nods tearfully. “Of course, we’ll move in together before the wedding, you know, trial run or whatever ‘cause I’m not totally naive. But still, Mom is gonna be so mad, Scar, I’m terrified to tell her.”
I’ve always been a stubborn, headstrong child. Julie grew up watching me get berated every step of the
way, and so she took the easier path—obedience. Not that I blame her; if I was smarter, I would have done the same.
When Mom told her to jump, she asked how high. When she told her to join the family marketing business right out of high school, Jules asked for directions to her office. There’s been a few small things she would stand her ground on, but nothing like this. Mom has a strict “plan for success” and getting engaged at nineteen is definitely not on it.
“Are you gonna tell her tonight at dinner?”
She nods slowly. “Yeah, no way I can keep this a secret.”
“Not to save your life.” I laugh. “Can’t believe you’re getting married before me.” The reality of the situation is starting to settle. She’s so young, but she and Leo have always been perfect for one another. Even when I selfishly hated him, I could see it.
Without warning, Julie’s hand flies to her mouth. “I’m such a bitch. Here you’ve been going through this awful thing with Kane and now I’m throwing my happiness in your face.”
“Oh, don’t you dare do that. Honestly, I’m fine,” I lie.
She gives me her favorite “oh really?” look as she pulls out her phone and shoves it in my face. It’s a picture of me crying on my bed surrounded by candy wrappers. The Notebook is on in the background; I can tell because sexy Ryan Gosling is dripping wet on the screen.
“Ugh. Fucking Nessa, that traitor.”
“So you want to try that again?”
I roll my eyes. “Okay, I’ve been a little bit of a mess. I’ve hated this faceless person for so long, and then there was Kane and he was amazing but...now those two people are one, and it has, admittedly, fucked with my head and my heart.” I sigh.
She nods with a sympathetic pout. “I love you babe, but you hold a grudge like a dog with a bone. Remember you guys were so young when that happened; he was just a kid who made a dumb mistake.”
My response is full of venom. “Yeah, well, he wasn’t a “kid” when he swapped a date with me for video games.” She snorts, and I glare at her. “It’s not fucking funny!”
“I mean...it’s kinda funny.” She giggles. “In the way that you guys are totally perfect for each other because I’m pretty sure I’ve bribed you with that same exact thing.”
I flip her off, but she only laughs harder. “What about the competition? Am I supposed to swoon and let him walk over my corpse in the game, so he can win? No. I’m going into this with no emotions. I will not pass up the opportunity of a lifetime for some boy,” I scoff.
Her smile fades away as she reaches for my hand. “What if he’s the one?”
“What if he’s not?” I shoot back.
She pulls me into another hug and squeezes me tight. “I’m sorry your date was such a disaster. If you want to hate him, I’ll respect that, but there is something you should know…”
“Okay, well that’s not a good face,” I say slowly.
“He’s kinda going to be Leo’s best man. Kane might not be completely avoidable.”
I let my head drop with a groan. “Son of a bitch.” I pop back up with an evil smile. “Okay, I’m good and fired up right now, let’s go have dinner, so I can let loose when Momster gets nasty.”
Julie laughs and loops her arm with mine as we stand up. “I love you, Scar.”
“Love you, too, sis. Let’s go dine with the Devil, shall we?”
14
Kane
Mmmmm...
I wake to the delicious aroma of bacon and quickly throw on a pair of sweatpants. Leo never cooks breakfast, but he’s been in an annoyingly good mood since Julie accepted his proposal. It’s hard to mope when your roommate goes around the house skipping and whistling like a fool, but a hot breakfast is something I can get behind.
Jogging out of my room, I head to the kitchen and spot shoulder length strawberry blonde hair. That’s definitely not my roommate.
“Good morning, how do you like your eggs?” Julie asks, brightening as she sees me.
I groan inwardly; I should have known it would be her. Ever since her mom freaked out about the engagement last week, she’s been staying here. I was fine only having to see her every once in a while, but now everywhere I turn, she’s there. At least she stopped giving me dirty looks.
For the past few days, I’ve been hiding out in my room, hoping one day I’ll wake up and she’ll magically be gone. But they’re engaged now, so if anyone is going to be asked to leave...it will be me.
“Ah, no thanks.” I spin on my heels to head back to my room.
“Wait!” I turn with a raised eyebrow. “Look, I know I was a little salty toward you after the whole Scarlett thing, and I know you’ve never liked me much to begin with, and I’m totally invading your space, but please...let me make you breakfast. It’s the least I can do.”
Crap, I was not nearly as subtle with my dislike as I thought.
“Julie, it’s not that I don’t like you…”
She waves the spatula in her hand. “Stop, I’m not stupid. Just sit okay?”
If I’m as honest as Leo was, he’s the only real friend I have too. The last thing I want is to ruin that friendship because I can’t get along with his soon-to-be wife. Time to play nice.
I take a seat at the small dining room table; it’s not long before Julie has set down two plates piled with scrambled eggs, bacon, and hash browns.
“This looks amazing.” I bite into a piece of bacon and moan happily. Bacon is magic.
She grins. “Glad you approve. Leo had a class this morning so that means more for us.”
It’s not until our plates are cleared that I find the nerve to speak up.
“About what you said earlier…” I start.
She sets down her fork with a sigh. “You don’t like me, and I get it. We have zero in common, and admittedly, I’m a little high maintenance. Now I’ve come into your space, and it probably feels like you’re being pushed out.”
I’m at a loss for words. She nailed it right on the head.
She laughs at my expression of disbelief. “I may be a dumb blonde, but I’m an observant dumb blonde. Look, I’m going to tell you a few things, not just because I want you to understand me a little better, but also because you might learn a thing or two about my sister.”
“What makes you think I want to know anything about Scarlett?” I scoff.
She snickers. “Who do you think you’re fooling?”
I roll my eyes but wave her to keep talking.
“Our mother built her marketing company from the ground up. She not only became wildly successful but looked damn good doing it. She graduated at the top of her class, married a successful doctor, and life as she knew it was perfect. Then she had Scarlett, a beautiful little girl who she expected to obediently follow in her perfect footsteps.”
I shake my head. “Yeah, I think I know how that story ends.”
Obedient is the last thing I would call Scarlett, unless you count the time I had her pinned over the...shit, why does that keep happening?
“You may know how the story ends, but not the battle that was waged every day in our house. When our dad died, it got worse. Mom couldn’t understand why Scarlett dressed the way she did, why she focused on her games and her art, why she refused to get her nails done or go to the salon. My sister was determined to be her own person, to follow her own dreams, and my mother took it as a personal affront. I grew up watching the way Scarlett was ridiculed and scorned for being her own person. I desperately wanted to have the same free spirit my sister did, but I wasn’t as brave. That and Scarlett was always Daddy’s favorite, so I craved my mother’s approval. I made myself perfect for her, and as soon as I got out of high school, I began training to someday take over the family company.”
I whistle. Scarlett mentioned her family was a little dysfunctional, but I never imagined this…
She continues, “Don’t give me that look. I don’t want your pity and neither does Scarlett. There were still good times, and we were loved the best w
ay my mother knew how. But with Leo, I’ve never felt the need to be perfect, slowly but surely, I’m learning to accept my imperfections and release the reins. He’s who’s given me the strength to finally do something that is for me, and only me. My mother is gonna throw her tantrum, but I’m going to marry him because even though he’s not a doctor or a lawyer, I love that man with all my heart. I plan on being in his life forever, so I guess I’m just trying to say that I would really love if we could try to become friends.” She blinks back tears.
I nod slowly as I digest her words. “I wrote you off without ever giving you a chance, and I’m sorry. Leo is a great guy, and I’m lucky to have him as a friend. Let’s try this again, shall we?” I take a deep breath and smile wide. “Hi Julie, I’m Leo’s roommate, Kane Decker.”
I hold out my hand, and she shakes it with a giggle. “Hi Kane. It’s really nice to meet you.”
I cup my chin and pretend to think. “You know, Julie, we just met, but I sense that you have this badass free spirit, and I would love to be friends with you.”
Her eyes sparkle with more tears. “I would like that,” she whispers.
Time to be the even bigger man. “I also sense you have a sister who I should try to make peace with—for everyone’s sake. Think maybe that’s something you could help me with?”
A wicked little smirk crosses her face.
“Oh, I’m positive I can get you in the same room with her. I wasn’t planning on a party for the engagement, but now I’m thinking we might just need one...”
My jaw drops as I park in front of the massive house. I knew they were rich, but hot damn, this place is fit for royalty. I can’t believe I took Scarlett back to our shit hole when this is the kind of digs she’s accustomed to.
It’s been exactly one month since my date with Scarlett, and now, thanks to Julie, I have an excuse to be around her. Tonight is Leo and Julie’s big engagement party; apparently their mother has calmed down a bit and agreed to let them host it at the house.