by L. L. Ash
Yeah, seventeen and eighteen year old girls were already walking around our school with rhinoplasty, boob jobs, and botox injected everywhere.
She was a senior like Hunter, and I was finally a junior, heading into seventeen years old in a month.
I just didn’t answer, choosing to stare up at her instead. It always made her uncomfortable when I stayed silent like a doll on a shelf.
Her smile dropped and she sneered, showing the spit strings that she had been named after since junior high.
How did she get popular again? Oh, right, her dad was a major stockholder for one of California's biggest tech companies. Plus, they were richer than God.
“You’re such a creep,” she said, flipping her hair. “Look at you, staring at Hunt like a weirdo. You know he’s not interested in you. He thinks you’re gross.”
I stared, unblinking. She no joke shuddered.
Her cronies suddenly looked over to the right where Gauge was moving through the cafeteria with Hunter right behind him.
“What’cha talking about?” Gauge asked, pulling one of Spinelli’s cronies into his arms while Hunter crowded in around us.
“Just being friendly,” the spit queen said, showing off her teeth strings so they could glitter in the fluorescent light.
“Let’s get out of here,” Hunter said, practically cutting off her last word, “It’s getting too stuffy in here for me.”
As per usual, the moment Heidi or anyone of her ilk started talking to me, Hunter drew them away like I’d infect them with my weirdness or something.
While Heidi turned away from me, Hunter let her string her arms around him while he gave me this look like he didn’t even know me. Like all the years we’d spent together as kids hadn’t existed. Like we hadn’t been each other’s first kiss.
“Did you hear about Jared’s party on Friday?” one of the cronies asked, flirting up Hunter, Gauge, and the three guys who joined them on their way out, leaving their lunch unfinished on the table. “I heard his parents are out of town—”
The conversation cut off as they turned the corner into the hallway, and I just faced my food again.
“I don’t get it,” Hillary said, shaking her head. “That guy was half glaring and half eye-fucking you, girl.”
I scoffed.
“No freaking way. He hasn’t spoken to me since eighth grade. He hates me.”
She just shrugged at me, not convinced, but dropping it anyway.
“I heard about the party, too,” she said. “Are we going to this one?”
“Why do we want to go?” I asked. “Spitty Spinelli will just make fun of me.”
I could see the look of disappointment on her face the moment I opened my mouth.
Dammit, I was an awful friend, and Hillary was just trying to find a balance between supporting me and having some sort of social life that had never been interesting to me.
“Ok,” I practically groaned. “We’ll go, but only for a little while, ok? If you’re having fun, I’ll just take off and you can keep hanging out.”
Hillary squealed, and that made me feel even worse. I was always her party pooper, and I was so selfish, that even agreeing to an hour or two had her happier than a clam in a shell.
“I’m totally going to do your hair,” she said, already planning our outfits and makeup in her head.
Well, another long, uncomfortable night around Hunter was ahead of me. I’d just have to pull on my big girl panties and get over it because Hillary deserved to have fun.
- 40 -
Hunter
Ok, so maybe I wasn’t the best designated driver. I liked to have fun with drunk people because they were so fucked up that they’d do just about everything.
“I don’t understand how you did this,” Gauge asked, sipping a tequila with a grimace while we watched the girls grind on each other on the dance floor.
I shrugged.
“All alcohol does is take away your inhibitions. I make suggestions, and if they really want to do it, they will. Obviously they wanted to scissor, at least a little bit, subconsciously.”
“Do girls like boobs as much as dudes?” he asked, making it obvious that his own inhibitions were wavering as well.
“I don’t know,” I said with a shrug. “Why don’t you ask?”
He gave a slow nod, then got up to make his way to the girls.
I grinned, sitting back in the booth we’d claimed and prepared for the show that would no doubt take place.
Ivy heard the question and she put her hand over her mouth, giggling while Hillary, Ivy’s sexpot little friend, tilted her head in thought. She, no joke, lifted her hands and started squeezing her tits right in front of Gauge.
I wasn’t surprised at all when the guy smashed his face to hers, eating her up right in the middle of the dance floor.
Ivy laughed at the two of them, then made her way back over to the table.
“So?” I asked. “Girls like tits as much as we do?”
She grinned.
“Let’s put it this way,” she said, scooting closer so she didn’t have to yell to be heard, “Men aren’t the only ones who use them to get off.”
Hot damn. I was ready to head home and taste, suck, and fuck those beautiful tits of hers.
Throwing caution to the wind, I leaned in and took her mouth, tasting fruity martini on her lips before my tongue gained entrance and played with hers.
She moaned into my mouth, giving in so easily. I pulled her into my lap, her knees framing my hips while her ass dug into the table beneath her. Her fingers dragged down my shirt, nails scraping through the fabric and stinging my skin, but it only served to turn me on more. Then her hand cupped my junk and I was done for.
“Let’s go home,” I breathed, panting against her lips while she slid her tongue against my mouth.
The girl got horny when she got a little alcohol in her. It told me so much because of all those inhibitions, or lack of, that I’d just discussed.
She agreed, nodding and biting on my lip ring before she crawled off my lap.
Gauge was still on the dance floor with his tongue down Hillary’s throat, so the two of us got up from our table and went to grab the unusual couple.
“We’re leaving!” I yelled, hoping to be heard over the music and their lust.
Gauge looked up at me, blinking while Hillary pulled away from him, straightening her hair.
Ivy gave her some girly look, which I could only imagine meant that they’d talk about it later.
“You both drank too much to drive!” Ivy said, yelling a little louder than necessary. “So we’re taking you both home!”
I fought a groan.
So either no fucking, or both our friends would have to pass out among the sound of Ivy’s ‘O’ scream.
Both of them followed us out, finishing their drinks in the process, then emerged with us into the chilled night air.
“Let’s go!” I said, digging into my pocket for Ivy’s keys.
“That’s right! Everyone get into Baby!” Ivy called too.
Baby?
Who was bab—
“You named your car?” I asked, not even bothering to hold back my laugh.
She frowned at me.
“For your information, me and Baby have been through a lot together!”
Oh God…
We all shoved into the car, Hillary abandoning her VW and planting herself in Gauge’s lap so we could go.
“You coming home with us?” Ivy asked her.
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “I’m working tomorrow. If I stay at your place, I’m going to be late. I just know it!”
“It’s true,” Ivy agreed, turning to me with wide, innocent eyes while I got us and ‘Baby’ on the road.
“Give me your address then,” I told Hillary.
At least I got to drop one of our friends off. Gauge would just have to deal with the bang-bang of my mattress hitting the wall.
She lived up near the school, not far
from the bar, but the most amazing thing happened when I dropped her off. Hillary said goodbye, then settled a lingering glance on Gauge before she slid off his lap and started making her way toward her apartment.
Gauge sighed, sounding disappointed.
“Don’t be a tease,” Ivy said, pushing his shoulder. “I bet if you follow her, she’ll invite you in.”
“I thought she had work—”
“Go!” Ivy said, cutting him off.
He didn’t have to be told twice. The guy flicked off his seatbelt and jogged a little wobbly toward where Hillary was letting herself into her second story apartment.
Gauge flung his hands out, saying something, and last we saw of them, Hillary grabbed the collar of his shirt and dragged him into her place.
“And then there were two,” Ivy said in a sing-song voice.
“You’re good,” I told her, already sorting through a list of all the awful, dirty, delicious things I wanted to do to her when we got home.
Yeah, I wanted to eat her pussy first. Like an appetizer.
We got back to our apartment and I had to literally hold her up by the waist, helping her up the stairs while she swayed dangerously.
“You’re smashed,” I told her, hoping she wasn’t too drunk that I would feel morally obligated to wait until morning to fuck the hell out of her.
Ivy giggled, swaying a little more on purpose before she stopped dead on the stairs, her laugh freezing in her throat.
I looked up from the curve of her delicious ass and saw a dude standing on our doorstep.
He looked familiar, too. Where did I know him from?
“Jamie?” Ivy whispered, shaking my hands off her as she took the last two steps by herself.
“Hey,” the dude said, looking nervous as he shoved his hands through his hair. “Surprise!”
Like a lightning bolt, it hit me who he was. The dickwad, douchebag masseuse from Hawaii. What was he doing in LA?
“What’re you doing in LA?” she asked, reading my fucking mind.
He gave a little, weak smile before shrugging.
“I moved here.”
Moved here?
Oh hell no.
Ivy seemed to sober immediately as she stood there. Gone were her giggles and easy smile.
“Give me a few,” she said, looking into my eyes with pleading in hers.
Well, fuck.
“I’m just inside if you need me,” I told her, staring the asshole down as I unlocked the door.
Once I was inside, I pressed my back against the door and closed my eyes.
Now what?
- 41 -
Ivory
There went the nice buzz I had going on.
Hunter didn’t look happy to leave me there on our doorstep, but I couldn’t have this conversation with his ears listening in.
“Your brother, right?” Jamie asked, motioning toward where Hunter had disappeared behind the front door.
I just nodded.
“What are you really doing here?” I asked, folding my arms across my chest as the cold breeze made goosebumps break out over my skin.
“Honestly?” he asked, looking hella nervous. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you. Every time we talked my heart would speed up, and I just want to… I want to get to know you better.”
I just blinked.
“You moved here for me?” I whispered in disbelief.
He kind of shrugged, shoving his hand through his hair again.
“How long have you been waiting out here?” I breathed.
He checked the watch on his wrist.
“About an hour. I came straight here from the airport.”
Oh God...
He licked his lips and took a deep breath.
“Fuck… I needed a change in scenery, anyway. I shouldn’t have come right here. I just thought you might want to see me, too...”
“I do,” I blurted.
Hope leaked into his expression.
“Sorry, I’m just kind of… We went out for drinks, and I’m only half in my right mind right now.”
“Yeah, I picked a bad time. Can we meet for lunch or something tomorrow?” he asked. “I’ve got to go get settled in my new place...”
“I’m starting the semester tomorrow, so I'm busy through lunch. But I can do dinner.”
He nodded.
“Ok, dinner. I’ll be here at six to pick you up.”
I agreed and he reached over to grab his suitcase.
“Ok. Tomorrow,” he said, as if reassuring himself.
I turned the handle of my door and opened it while he dragged his bag down the stairs and toward the parking lot.
“What the fuck was that?” Hunter hissed, poking his head out the door to watch Jamie’s back as he left down the stairs. “What’s that asshole doing here?”
“He’s not an asshole,” I snapped back. “Get inside!”
I didn’t want Jamie to overhear Hunter or his venom-laced words.
After shoving him back into the apartment and shutting the door, Hunter stood there with arms crossed over his chest like he was waiting for an explanation.
“What?” I asked him.
“What the fuck do you mean ‘what’?” he demanded. “We were just about to fuck, then this dude is showing up and you’re what, dating him now?”
“I can date whoever I want!”
He went silent, his arms dropping to his sides as he stared at me.
With a tiny nod of his head, he turned on his heel and made his way to his bedroom where he slammed the door so hard the whole apartment shook. No doubt we’d get a sound complaint from our neighbors.
Closing my eyes, I stroked my temples and groaned.
I didn’t know what the hell I wanted. I wanted Hunter, but all he wanted was my body and a ‘friendship with benefits’. I wanted Jamie, but I didn’t know him well enough to even know if we were compatible.
But Jamie came all the way from Hawaii for me.
Holy fuck, it scared me.
What was he feeling that he’d fly thousands of miles over an ocean and uproot his whole life to be near me?
Our dinner would have some important conversation, and I intended to ask every single hard question.
My eyes followed the path down to Hunter’s room and my heart mourned. Not from the lack of sex, but because I missed him. I fucking missed him. What I had now with him wasn’t enough, and all it was doing was reminding me of how good it had been before. Before the fucking, before Dad’s marriage, before the weird event that had made him turn his back on me. I missed that boy who sat on the rocks of our beach in Malibu and kissed away my hurts and my sadness with gentle, empathetic lips. He’d been there for me through everything, until suddenly, he wasn’t. I’d had an empty hole in my chest ever since.
Maybe it was time to find something that would fill it.
- 42 -
Ivory
Eight Years Ago
“Twenty-six bottles of pop on the wall, twenty-six bottles of pop! Take it off, drink it all down, twenty-five bottles of pop on the—”
“Oh my God!” Hunter groaned, turning onto his belly in the sand. “Make it stop!”
I laughed, but stopped the song. Road trip songs were fun, especially because I knew how much he hated them. And yet, he rarely said anything to make me stop. That was how much he loved me.
“Why do you have to start at one hundred?” he asked, settling his head against his folded hands on the sand. “Can’t you start at like, twenty, or maybe, five?”
I laughed.
“Don’t be such a spoilsport. Join me for once.”
He gave me a long, flat look that told me it would be a cold day in you-know-where before he sang along with me.
“I tolerate it,” he said, settling his head back down. “Don’t push it.”
I grinned and laid down, shifting in the sand and wishing I’d remembered my towel so I didn’t have to get sand in every crevice.
A sharp sting bit into my b
ack and I yelped, which had Hunter on his knees and hovering over me in a second.
“What’s the matter?” he asked, eyes searching me for injury.
“My back,” I told him, flipping onto my stomach so he could check it out.
He tisked and brushed away some sand before the pads of his fingers drew up my spine, making me shiver.
“You laid on a shell fragment,” he said, putting the offending piece in the palm of my hand. “You’re fine.”
With the warm brush of his lips, he placed a kiss between my shoulder blades, then he crawled back to his spot and settled back down.
I sat up and tossed the shell into the vast expanse of rocks on our other side, then matched Hunter on my stomach, listening to the low, rumbling heartbeat of the ocean. It calmed me. Between that and the warmth left on my skin from Hunter’s kiss, I closed my eyes and let the sun soak into me to warm up after the water games we’d been playing earlier. Could life get any better?
Opening my eyes a crack, I saw Hunter looking back at me. He smiled just a little, then closed his eyes again.
Nope.
It couldn’t.
- 43 -
Ivory
Normally, I’m a ball of nerves on the first day of the school year, and today was no different. The only difference this time though, that it wasn’t school making my guts churn. Nope, it was the anticipation of seeing Jamie that had me all messed up.
When I’d told Hillary about what had happened after we'd dropped her off, she just blinked at me in disbelief. Yeah, that was pretty much how I felt, too.
I was pulling on some black jeans and a soft pink, flowy top while completely ignoring my first day’s homework as the clock inched closer to six. It was five ‘til when there was a knock on the door.
Hunter probably would have been storming to the front door if he was home, but luckily for me, he was at Mac’s shop, working.
Slipping into a pair of nude heels, I hurried to the door.
I barely got the door open when a bundle of flowers were thrust into my face.
“Hey!” I said, getting a peek of Jamie over the top of the yellow and orange roses.