Tell Me Pretty Lies

by Charleigh Rose

  Shayne wordlessly rolls toward me and my hand slides underneath her shirt with the movement, gliding up to rest in between her shoulder blades. Our lips are centimeters apart, but she keeps her eyes downcast.

  “I’m sorry.” The words are simple, but I don’t think I’ve actually said them before. “Be with me.”

  Her breaths come quicker now, and I can feel her heart pounding. I don’t know what she’s thinking or feeling, but she’s not kicking me out, so I take it as a good sign. Then I feel her tongue graze my lips, tentatively slipping between them as her hands come up to cup my jaw. She kisses my top lip first, sucking lightly, and then she repeats the motion with the bottom. I groan, letting her take her fill, but when her tongue slides against mine, I can’t help kissing her back.

  I slide my hands into her hair, holding her to me as I move my tongue against hers. I roll her underneath me, then sit back on my heels to peel her grey shorts down her legs, taking her underwear with them. Shayne lies still, letting me undress her. Her tank top is next. I push it up to expose those perfect tits, admiring how pretty her little pink nipples look with those dainty piercings. I crawl on top of her, my hands pinning hers to the bed as I take one hardened tip into my mouth.

  Shayne moans, lifting her hips, seeking friction. I suck on her, capturing both of her wrists in one hand, then my thumb takes care of the neglected side. Getting off on her little gasps and moans, I take my time sucking, licking, nipping, and then I give the same treatment to the other side. Shayne’s practically panting now, her eyes squeezed shut like she’s in pain with her arms still raised above her head.

  I curl her fingers around the slats in the headboard. “Keep them there,” I say, standing to get rid of my clothes. Shayne’s eyes are glued to me as I tear my shirt off over my head, dropping it to the floor. I kick off my shoes, shoving my pants and boxers down my legs next, and then I’m crawling back over her, kissing my way up her stomach.

  “Open your legs for me, baby.”

  Shayne spreads her thighs for me without hesitation, and I slide in between them.

  “Tell me again,” I say, positioning myself against her slick heat before lifting her thigh to my waist. “I want to hear you to say it.”

  She wets her lips, seeming nervous, and I realize my mistake. The last time she said those words, it didn’t end well. She needs to hear them from me.

  “I love you,” I say, pushing inside her. I slide my hands up her outstretched arms, linking my fingers through hers as I start to move inside her. “I tried not to. I didn’t want to feel anything for anyone, but then you came along and crawled inside my skin, inside my fucking heart, and you never left. Not even for a minute. I’m done fighting it.”

  Shayne unlinks our fingers, pushing on my shoulders to flip our positions. She rolls on top of me, pinning my wrists to the bed like I did hers, her warm, wet pussy against my lower stomach. Her hair falls around us, tickling my chest as she leans down. “If you fuck this up—”

  “I won’t.”

  “Good.” She shifts her hips, angling her ass until my head is nudged just inside her opening.

  “Does this mean you love me, too?”

  She slides down, taking me inside her. “You’re the only boy I’ve ever loved.”

  “Show me.”

  Shayne sits back, bracing her hands on my thighs behind her as she starts to ride me. This position gives me a perfect view of my cock between her lips and I watch, mesmerized, as she slowly slides up and down my length. Her tits bounce once she starts to move her hips faster, and I bring my hands to her waist, slamming her down onto me as I push my hips into her. When I feel her wetness coating me and see her eyes squeeze shut before her head falls back, I know she’s close.

  “Fuck, I love you,” I say, bringing my thumb to press against her clit. She tightens around me instantly, her mouth falling open in a silent scream. I feel her contracting around me over and over, milking me, and I can’t help it. I come inside her as she shakes and jerks on top of me.

  “Oh my God,” she says, flopping onto my chest, keeping me inside her.

  Our bodies are slick with sweat, her cheeks flushed as we lie here, catching our breath. After a few minutes, she starts to trace my tattoo, like she seems to do every time we’re together like this.

  Just when I think she’s fallen asleep, she mumbles something that I can’t make out.

  “What?”

  “Like catching lightning in a bottle.”

  Shayne

  We’re finally together. It doesn’t feel real, but it feels right. There’s a chance I might regret it one day, but I know if I didn’t give us one more shot, I’d always wonder what if? Thayer picks me up from school every day, making sure to kiss me in front of everyone. People talk, but it’s nothing new.

  The more I think about what Grey told us about that night, the more something doesn’t sit right with me. Why was Samuel at the scene so quickly? Knowing what I know about him, I can’t shake the feeling that he’s at the bottom of all of this. I just don’t know how. Christian’s been even more withdrawn than usual, and I know that I need to have a conversation with Thayer. I haven’t told him about what I saw that night in the parking lot, partly because I promised I wouldn’t and was trying to give him the time to do it himself, and partly because it slipped my mind with all of the other chaos unfolding.

  I sit at Thayer’s kitchen table with him on one side of me and Holden on the other, my plate of untouched pizza in front of me. Holden’s having people over later, so I feel like it’s better to get it over with now.

  “I have to tell you guys something,” I say, picking at my black nail polish. They both pause, exchanging looks. Thayer drops his pizza to his plate, pinning me with an expectant glare.

  “The night of Danny’s memorial thing…”

  “Spit it out,” Holden says before taking a swig of his beer.

  “I went out to the parking lot to find you,” I say to Holden. “But you were already gone.”

  “Yeah?”

  I nod. “I saw Christian with his dad, and I don’t know what happened or why, but he started beating the shit out of Christian.”

  I watch them both for a reaction. Maybe this won’t be a surprise to them. But their faces give nothing away.

  “I ran over to help him, and your uncle wasn’t happy that I’d just witnessed it.”

  “Did he touch you?” Thayer asks, his voice low and threatening.

  “No.” I quickly shake my head. “He was trying to scare me, telling me how this was ‘family business’, but Christian stopped him before he could do anything.”

  “Why the fuck are you just now telling me this?”

  “Christian asked me not to. He was supposed to tell you himself.” I still don’t know if that was a one-off, or if it’s an ongoing thing. Not that it’s acceptable either way.

  “He has been different lately,” Holden muses.

  “You guys don’t seem surprised.”

  “Samuel’s a dick.” Holden shrugs. “So are our dad and our grandfather. I wouldn’t put it past him. I just don’t know why Christian would take it.”

  “I have a bad feeling about him,” I admit. “Grey said he got there before the ambulance on the day Danny died. At first, I just figured he had connections and someone tipped him off about the nine-one-one call, knowing he’s family. But why would he cover for Grey like that?”

  “He knew Grey was blood,” Holden supplies.

  Thayer shakes his head. “No. Samuel doesn’t give a shit about that. He’s gonna beat his own son but protect his half-nephew? That doesn’t add up.”

  “Where is he now?” I ask.

  “Fuck if I know. He’ll be here tonight, though,” Holden says, crumpling up a napkin before tossing it onto his plate.

  “We’ll talk to him then.” Thayer reaches over to grab the leg of my chair, sliding me toward him, then he’s pulling to set me sideways on his lap with his hand on my thigh. “Anything else I should kno
w?”

  A few hours later, the house is full of people. Taylor had the audacity to show her face after everything. She waltzed in like nothing happened, but Holden cornered her, telling her to leave. She pouted about it not being fair because all her friends were here, so Holden told her if she wanted to stay, she’d have to apologize to me.

  I’d like to say that I didn’t find a sick satisfaction in watching her fumble over her words with jealousy written all over her face as Thayer hugged me from behind, kissing my neck, oblivious to her presence, but that’d be a lie. Her apology was anything but sincere, but I didn’t care. She’s irrelevant to me and the people I care about, which is the best revenge for a girl like her.

  Christian still hasn’t shown up, and I can’t say I’m not a little nervous to face him after betraying his trust. Hopefully, he’ll understand.

  A commotion from out back has me pushing up onto my toes in an attempt to see over everyone and into the backyard.

  “Motherfucker,” Thayer mutters, pushing his way through the crowd of people gathered in his kitchen, heading for the back door. I’m right behind, still not sure what’s happening, but once we step outside, I see Liam, Valen’s boyfriend, laid out in the grass, holding his bloody nose. Valen has her hands cupped over her mouth in shock, and Holden’s hovering above him.

  “By the way, I fucked your girlfriend,” he shouts, throwing his arms out.

  “Holden!” Valen yells, rushing to help Liam up off the ground, but he shoves her away, refusing her help.

  What. The. Fuck.

  “Touch her again, motherfucker,” Holden warns, taking a step forward, but Thayer steps in front of him, holding him back.

  Liam pulls himself to his feet and spits in the grass, wiping his nose with the back of his sleeve before he turns to go back inside, and presumably, right out the front door. I run up to Valen to see what the hell is going on.

  “Are you okay? What happened?”

  “I need to talk to him,” she says, pointing toward the direction Liam went. “I promise I’ll call you later, okay?” She gives me a quick kiss on the cheek, and then she’s heading back inside.

  “Valen…” Holden says, his eyes begging her to stay. She turns to look at him over her shoulder, hesitating, but then she turns back around, disappearing inside.

  Valen and Holden? Holy shit. I know I’ve been distracted lately, but how did something like this escape my notice?

  Once they’re gone, everyone goes back to drinking, and the drama is already forgotten. Holden’s eyes are angry and hard, but I can see the hurt he’s trying to conceal.

  “Are you all right?” I ask, walking up to him and Thayer, rubbing my arms against the cold. I’m wearing fleece-lined leggings, my Sherpa jacket, and a beanie, but I’m still freezing. It’s as if we’ve skipped fall and went straight to winter.

  “I need a drink,” he says, heading back inside for the kitchen.

  Thayer and I exchange looks, and I can tell he’s just as clueless as I am. We follow him inside where he promptly walks up to the island counter and takes a swig out of some tequila someone left out, then jams a hand through his hair, seeming conflicted.

  “What happened?” I ask.

  “Valen is the devil. That’s what happened.”

  I frown, confused, but before I can say another word, Baker and Christian come barreling into the kitchen. Christian’s arm is around Baker’s neck as Baker drags his drunken body toward us.

  Thayer straightens, taking in the sight.

  “Found him at the falls. He almost went over,” Baker explains, shrugging Christian’s arm off. He stumbles, losing his balance, and Thayer walks over to him, jerking him up by his jacket before planting him in one of the chairs at the dining table.

  “Stay,” he orders, pointing a finger at him like a dog.

  “Everyone else, get the fuck out!”

  Holden walks out back, making the same announcement. Baker turns to leave, but Thayer stops him.

  “Not you.”

  Baker works his jaw, hesitating, but ultimately, he listens, taking a seat on the other side of the table. Christian starts to slide off his chair and I rush over, catching him before he hits the floor. I shove on his shoulders to push him upright, and bloodshot eyes meet mine so full of pain and something else I can’t place.

  “Why do you insist on being nice to me?” he slurs. “If you would have just stayed away…”

  Ice fills my veins, like my instincts realize something before my mind can catch up, and I stumble back, my butt hitting the floor. People are still making their way out of the house, and someone steps on my fingers, but it barely registers. Suddenly, another piece of the puzzle snaps into place as a single phrase from the night of the fire pops into my head.

  Just be glad you were in the kitchen when it happened.

  “How did you know I was in the kitchen?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.

  “Baby, what the fuck?” Thayer says, his arms hooking underneath mine to pull me to my feet, but I can’t tear my eyes away from Christian. And judging by the way he’s looking at me, he knows I’ve put it together.

  “It was you, wasn’t it?”

  “Shayne,” Thayer says, looking between the two of us. “Explain.”

  “It was him. This whole time—my locker, my tires, the window…”

  “You?” Thayer says, incredulous. “You were behind it?”

  “It was supposed to scare her. I wasn’t trying to hurt her—”

  “You weren’t trying to hurt her? You set a fire in her house!” Thayer lunges for him with murder in his eyes, but I step in front of him, my hands on his waist.

  “Hitting him isn’t going to give us any answers.”

  “No, but it’ll feel good,” he argues, his jaw flexing in anger.

  “Look at him. He’s barely conscious as it is.”

  “I’m drunk, not deaf,” Christian says, his voice garbled.

  “Why?” Holden chimes in. “Why the fuck would you go through all that trouble?”

  I turn around to face him as my brain works overtime trying to work out the last piece of the puzzle. “What did I ever do to you?”

  Why would he want to scare me away? And why would he be drunk at the falls? Then it hits me. That look in his eyes I couldn’t place…it was guilt. Guilt because—

  “You killed Danny.”

  Christian doesn’t answer at first, but then he drops his head into his hands, and his shoulders start to shake.

  “You better deny that right fucking now,” Holden barks.

  Christian looks up at him, eyes shining with tears. “It was an accident.”

  His admission hits me like a punch to the gut, and I feel Thayer’s chest heaving behind me. I tense, knowing I won’t be able to hold him back this time. I stick my hand behind me, locking my fingers with his in an attempt to calm him, but it’s in vain, because he’s on Christian before I can blink.

  “You killed my brother!” He fists Christian’s jacket, throwing him up against the wall. Christian doesn’t put up a fight, and Thayer pulls back his fist, sending it into his face. His head bounces off the wall, his nose spurting blood. “You could’ve killed my girl.” Another punch. This time to the stomach, and Christian doubles over. “You lied to us for a fucking year!” He lands one final punch to his gut, and then Christian’s sliding down the wall into a puddle on the floor.

  “Thayer, stop!”

  I know what he did is wrong and fucked up in so many ways, but all I can think of when I see Christian like this is the scene in the parking lot where his dad doled out the same abuse. I look over to Holden and Baker, but neither one of them moves to help, so I insert myself between them right before Thayer’s about to send a foot into Christian’s stomach. He stops himself, looking at me like I’ve grown three heads.

  I stand on my tiptoes, bringing my hands to his face, forcing him to focus on me. His nostrils are flared, his jaw set hard. “This isn’t going to help anything. Hurti
ng him isn’t going to bring Danny back.” His eyes squeeze shut as if he’s in pain. “We’ll make it right,” I promise him. “But not like this.”

  “We were fucking around, daring each other to jump like we always do,” Christian says, pulling himself up to sit against the wall, clutching his stomach. “He was being a pussy, talking about how it was too cold. We started wrestling, trying to push each other off, but I got the upper hand.”

  He stops, leaning his head back to look up at the ceiling as tears roll out of the corners of his eyes. “I fucking laughed. I laughed as he fell. And then I looked over the edge, waiting for him to jump out of the water and flip me off, but…he never came up.”

  “Finish your story so I can fucking kill you,” Holden says, his eyes glassy, arms folded over his chest.

  Christian nods, resigned to his fate. “I panicked. I couldn’t think, so I called my dad as I ran for the shore. He told me not to call the cops and said he was on his way. I jumped in, looking for him. Then he showed up,” he says, flicking his chin at Baker, who’s sitting there with his hood on, staring blankly ahead. “He was there doing some shit for his photography class. He saw the whole thing, then jumped in to help me. Eventually, we found Danny. I don’t know how long, but it felt like hours.”

  He inhales deeply, pressing his eyes with the heels of his palms. Shock has all of us paralyzed. I don’t even think we breathe, waiting for him to finish.

  “We pulled him out, but I could tell…” he trails off, his hands balling into fists. “I could tell he was dead. I didn’t know Grey had texted Danny, or that he told him to meet us there. I heard him calling Danny’s name, and I looked up, seeing him on the cliff. I panicked. Again. So we ran. The next thing I know, Grey’s yelling. He must have seen Danny on the shore. My dad came and got rid of Grey. Made it seem like he’d take the fall if he didn’t get out of there.”