by Hart, Rebel
I start getting ready for our dinner as she sits on my bed and listens carefully. I ramble on and on about the school in California and all it has to offer.
“It sounds amazing,” she beams once I’ve finished. “And perfect for you. I think you should go. Trust your gut. Of course, I’m not thrilled about you moving to the other side of the country. But it’s only an eight-hour flight, I think. And it gives me an excuse to move there when we can afford it,” she winks.
“Well…I should wait until I hear from the rest of the schools I applied to before I decide…and…,” I trail off, feeling worried about even seriously considering California.
“What’s wrong?” she asks. “What is it?”
I sigh and collapse back down to the edge of the bed. “It’s Emmett,” I confess with my heart feeling heavy. “He wants to move with me when I go, but…it’s so expensive there. And when I was researching it, I learned it’s really, really hard to find a job there. Like almost impossible. He’s running out of money and has no work experience. I don’t know what he’d do. I don’t know if he could come with me.”
I avoid telling her that secretly I wonder if he’d be better off staying here and working with Theo. It’s not the life I want for him, and definitely a life I want no part of. But condoning it is almost easier than my constant fear and panic of it coming true whether I like it or not. And I’m still worried that maybe that’s all Emmett has the strength to settle for at this point in his life.
“I know you two love each other,” she nods in deep thought. “It would hurt to leave him, but Emmett isn’t your responsibility. You can’t put your life on hold or settle for less than what you want just for him.”
“I know,” I answer softly. “I have a lot to think about anyway. For now, let’s go eat! I know exactly where I want to go!”
My mom freshens up as well and then we hop into her car and head downtown to the restaurant of my choice. Gusto’s is an Italian restaurant. My favorite kind of food second only to Mexican, but I don’t dare ask my mom to go to any Mexican restaurants around here. We quickly learned within our first few weeks in Jameson that none of them are authentic and can’t hold a candle to what my mom cooks at home.
Brendan meets us at the restaurant a half-hour later after he finishes up at work. They both rave about how proud they are of me, making me blush. I’m proud of myself too but doing my best to stay humble. We laugh and joke and, for a moment, I forget we’re in Jameson at all. The Elites and everything with Emmett feels a million miles away. I smile every time I remember that by Fall, I will be many miles away from here.
But then I look across the table and my mom and stepdad and realize how much I will miss them. Part of me wants to tell them to accept Theo’s offer to help just so they can follow me wherever I go. I swallow down a hard lump in my throat realizing it never occurred to me to consider that option for helping Emmett to follow me.
After dinner, they ask me if I want to watch a movie with them at home. I politely decline and step away to my room to call Emmett. I’m not ready to talk to him about Southern California, but I do want to share the good news with him. He says he’s just watching TV at his apartment, so I ask to come over. Once I arrive, I tell him that I received five acceptance letters that day, all but one offering a scholarship. As I say the words out loud, it’s still hard to believe.
“I’m not surprised at all,” he beams as he takes me in his arms with a flurry of kisses up and down my neck and face. “Of course, you’d get into all of them.”
As I pull back, I want to ask him if he has spoken to Theo again or if he has given any more thought to what he might want to do after graduation, aside from following me wherever I go. But the spark in his eyes pulls me in. The last thing I want to do with him right now is talk.
I lunge forward, crashing my lips into his. His hand rakes up into the back of my hair with a deep moan as he leans back, pulling me on top of him. I breathe heavy with excitement as I look down at him and the crooked, sly grin on the corner of his lips.
“I’ve missed this,” I whisper as I press into the growing strain against his jeans.
All at once he sits straight up and kisses me more deeply, running his hands up my thighs and around to the small of my back. He guides my hips back and forth across him until we can’t stand it anymore and start ripping off each other’s clothes.
The moment he slides my panties down and tosses them to the side, he slowly runs his fingers across my upper thighs before finally reaching my pulsating folds. He slips inside of me enough to feel the pooling wetness, and then uses it to massage in soft circles over my clit, causing me to hiss and groan impatiently.
“Oh, Ophelia,” he hums in his deep voice against my ear. “I want to feel you cum.” He works his fingers faster and harder, knowing all the right ways to push me to the edge.
With his fingers still moving over me, I grab onto his long shaft and begin massaging it up and down, relishing how hard he feels. I love how much I turn him on. I guide him inside of me and begin riding him, keeping his fingers pressed against me.
“You’re so wet,” he murmurs, his voice cracking.
I collapse across his chest, muttering into his ear. “I’m close.”
His eyes burn into me, his chest rising and falling as I claw into it. I pin his wrists against the couch and roll my tongue into his mouth. We explore each other’s mouths with our hands clutching and grabbing at every inch of skin they can find. We move greedily with labored breaths and pained moans.
I throw back my head with the intensifying satisfaction, trembling with ecstasy as he pushes in harder against my tight and aching muscles. He lunges his hips, his skin growing hot and sweaty. Almost too hot to touch. I yell out with unintelligible strings of words and exclamations as a violent wave of ecstasy crashes over me. The moment my own rippling orgasm fades, he quickly pulls out. I take him into my hands and grin as I work him to his own climax with him trembling beneath my touch.
Once it’s over and we’ve caught our breath, we can’t help but look at each other and start snickering over how good everything just felt.
“I needed that,” I laugh as I lay my head across his chest.
“I’m sorry,” he says in a more serious tone as he strokes my hair. “I know I haven’t been…in the mood much lately. I guess I’m just stressed.”
“I know,” I offer. “Me too.”
As I lay across his chest, slowly rising and falling, moving my whole body up and down with it, I feel closer to him than I have in a while. For a moment I think maybe I should just come clean about the prospects of me moving to California, but everything feels so perfect. The room is dark with only the light of the moon shining in through the window. All I can hear are his breaths and the pounding of his heart. My naked body is pressed against his warmth. I just want to fall asleep right here and forget about everything else for a little while.
14
Chapter Fourteen
“You’ll have to decide no later than June,” Coach Granger urges me as he looks over my collection of acceptance letters and scholarship offers which has only grown in the past week. It should make me ecstatic. But it is starting to get overwhelming. “Have you at least narrowed it down some?” he asks.
“Sort of,” I nod intently, not wanting to seem indifferent. “I’m trying to.”
“Anything we can do to help?” Jada adds from her seat at the other end of his desk. “These are some amazing offers. You don’t want to wait until the last minute and miss out on anything.”
“I know, I know,” I respond with a sharp exhale. I know they are just trying to help and have my best interests in mind but having so many options has only made me more indecisive. I feel panicked every time I consider making a final decision. At this very moment with my leg bouncing like crazy as I try to sit still, I really just want to take off running.
I’ve been running even more than usual lately, and when I’m not running, I’m usually thinking a
bout it. Which means when I finally do pick a school, I’ll be in top-notch shape by the time I get there. At night I go to sleep imagining that I could just start running and see where I end up. Wherever my legs take me, that’s where I’ll go to school.
“I’m sorry,” I add, snapping back to the conversation. “I’ll do my best to start narrowing it down. Anything else? I told my mom I’d be home in time for dinner tonight.”
“No, nothing else,” Coach sighs, seeming disappointed. “But let’s talk again next week. I’d like you to have made a short list of your top picks by then.”
“I can do that!” I announce confidently, but inside I’m dreading the deadline.
I’m relieved to finally be dismissed and out from under the pressure, at least for a moment. As I start walking to my car, I hear someone call out to me.
“Hey!” Bridgett smiles as she comes running up, carefully looking around to make sure no one is watching us. “I was hoping I’d catch you. What did Coach want?”
“Hey! He just wanted to talk about colleges and stuff,” I explain.
She nods, seeming thrown by my short response. “Which ones have you been accepted to?”
My lips part to answer, but I quickly stop myself. I have come to see Bridgett as a friend. I’ve trusted her enough to tell her the whole story about Emmett and my time in Jameson. And being related to the Henderson’s, she understands more about it than the average person would. But it doesn’t change the fact that she’s still one of them, even if only in appearances. They have a way of getting what they want from people, and they’re especially skilled at pretending to be your friend.
I think back to Lily and how clueless I was to what was really going on in her head the whole time we were friends. Then I think about the Elites calling in their contacts to make her top choice schools rescind their interest. I don’t know which end of the spectrum Bridgett falls on, if any. But it seems smart to keep some things to myself for now.
“A good number of them,” I answer finally. “I don’t want to talk about it. I feel like that’s all anyone ever asks me about anymore. What about you? How are you doing?”
“Good,” she answers sincerely, no longer seeming too bothered by my unwillingness to share more. “Practice was good today. I’m dreading dinner tonight though. We’re supposed to go over to Uncle Liam’s.”
“Ugh, I’m sorry,” I wince at the thought of having to sit down at a dinner table with Liam, Malcolm, Marissa, and Bernadette. And it still seems so strange that Emmett will be eating at my house, while what’s left of his family will be dining with Bridgett. “It’s so crazy...,” I muse. “The way things turn out.”
“How so?” her brows raise.
“That you’re so nice,” I shrug, not knowing how else to explain it.
“Thanks…I guess,” she laughs.
“Well, you should blow them off and come to my house for dinner instead,” I suggest. “I guarantee my mom’s cooking will be better than any chef Liam has hired.”
“That is tempting,” she grins mischievously, thinking it over. “Do you think your parents would mind?”
“Nah, they’ll be relieved to see me hanging out with someone new,” I reply. “A girl at that. Emmett is coming too, though.”
A strange look washes over her face. “Do you think he’ll be okay with me tagging along?” she asks hesitantly. “He didn’t seem to like me too much when we were hanging out the other day.”
“He’s just wary of you is all. I’m sure you can understand why.” I drop my eyes and kick some rocks around awkwardly. I hate the way the words sound, but I don’t know how else to put it. She may be one of the good guys, but how can any of us be so sure after what we’ve been through?
“Okay...,” she says slowly. “If you really don’t think it’d be any trouble…”
“Not at all!” I assure her. “Come on. Let’s get out of the cold before someone sees you leaving with me.”
We start walking as I search for Emmett’s car in the parking lot. Once I spot it, I see the dimmed lights and steam billowing out from the back, telling me he’s already heated it up and is waiting on me. I can’t see his face through the windshield, but I can only imagine how he must look as he sees Bridgett walking up with me.
“Hey baby, Bridgett’s coming with us. Okay?” I warn him from the driver’s side window, but I don’t give him much of a chance to respond before we both jump in. “Whew, I’ll be glad when it starts warming up!” My lips shiver as I rub my hands together and rock in the heated passenger’s seat.
“Hello again, Bridgett,” he grumbles, eyeing her skeptically through the rearview mirror.
“Hey, Emmett!” she says cheerfully. “What’s up?”
“Oh, nothing,” he replies as he puts the car in reverse. His voice is dripping with disdain, but I shoot him a threatening look to play nice.
We don’t give him much of a chance to be mopey or weird on the drive back to my house. Bridgett and I chatter away. We’re both students and athletes, and don’t have much time to laze around watching the latest movies and shows. You’d think we’d have trouble finding anything to talk about. But we get by just fine discussing our favorite running gear or shoes we’ve recently purchased, or weird things we’ve learned in class the past few weeks.
“Alright, ladies,” he announces as we approach my house. “Your chauffeur has…”
“Shit!” I cut him off, eyeing the expensive car parallel parked in front of my house.
“What is it?” Bridgett asks from the backseat.
I look over to Emmett who recognizes the car too. “It’s her dad,” he tells her. “Looks like Theo has come around for another visit.”
“Shit,” I say again, thinking the timing couldn’t be worse. But really there’s no good time to come home and find him here.
“Should I go?” she suggests politely. “I could call Malcolm to come pick me up.”
I want to tell her it’s not the best time, but I don’t want to send her off in a car with Malcolm either. She shouldn’t have to spend any more time than necessary with those assholes. And anyway, I can’t let Theo ruin everything for me.
“No, it’s fine,” I sigh, gathering the determination to make the best of it. “It’s better this way actually. Extra support for me. If you’re still okay with joining us, that is.”
“As long as Malcolm and Liam don’t find out,” she smirks. “But then again, if they knew I was here, Theo wouldn’t be their only issue.”
I laugh lightly, but it is a scary thought. It’s still too easy to forget that she’s taking a risk by being around us, just as we feel like we are with her.
“It’s like Romeo and Juliet!” I jest dramatically as we unbuckle our seat belts. “Let’s hope this dinner has a better ending.”
“Let’s aim for no suicides…or deaths at all,” Emmett adds, still looking wounded by Bridgett’s presence.
We step inside the warmth and aroma of my mom’s freshly cooked food. Brendan is helping her in the kitchen while Theo reads a paper at the table.
“Hello everyone,” I announce, eyeing my bio-dad with hatred. “Mom, I hope you don’t mind, I…”
“Hello!” my mom shouts enthusiastically as she turns to see Bridgett standing there. She doesn’t even bother letting me finish my sentence before running over and giving her a big hug.
“I…invited my friend Bridgett to join us,” I chuckle as I notice how happy she looks. I knew she was concerned about me not having any girlfriends, but I think I underestimated just how much.
“Well…I think you must be the first girl Ophelia has had over since we moved here,” she gushes. “This is my husband, Brendan. And this is Ophelia’s dad…Theo.”
I notice my mom tense up slightly as she turns to introduce Theo, but she’s quick to smile and play it off before returning to the kitchen as if it’s all completely normal. Theo sits proudly at the table with that same old annoying grin, like the cat that ate the canary. Always looking
so pleased with himself as if each time he talks his way back into this house it’s like summiting a mountain.
“Can I help with anything?” Bridgett offers, but my mom shoos her away to sit at the table and make herself comfortable.
Emmett and I take our seats next to her, and I’m left sitting across from Theo not knowing what to say. I can’t hide my discomfort or anger as I glare at him, but he seems completely unmoved by it.
“So, what brings you here this time, Dad?” I ask with a sarcastic emphasis on the title.
“Oh, you know,” he leans back arrogantly. “Just wanted to check in and see how things were going.”
“They make these things called telephones you know,” I snap back.
“Let’s eat!” my mom announces quickly as she and Brendan bring an assortment of dishes over to the table.
Emmett and Bridgett seem relieved for the brief interruption as they glance tensely back and forth between Theo and me.
“Thank you, Lala. This looks delicious as always,” Theo proclaims as she heaps food onto his plate. “Ophelia, your mom tells me that you’ve been accepted to quite a few schools already.”
“Every single one she’s applied to,” Emmett boasts, shooting me a wink.
“With scholarship offers,” I add.
“And have you thought any more about my offer to help pay for your living expenses?” he asks snidely, but in a way I think only I can detect. “I hear you’re top choice so far is the one in Southern California. I live there for a time, you know. That city is expensive. And jobs are really hard to come by.”
“I’m aware,” I murmur. I see Emmett freeze in the corner of my eye, but I try not to look at him. Instead, I glance up to my mom, silently scolding her for telling Theo something like that.
“Southern California?” Emmett asks. “You didn’t tell me about that one. Or that it was your top choice.”
I drop my fork and turn to him, feeling ashamed. “I…I’m sorry,” I stammer. “I meant to…I…I just…”