The Line Between

by Tamsyn Bester

  I told myself that it had nothing to do with the butterflies he gave me, or the way being that close to him again had made my heart flutter erratically.

  I didn’t believe any of it.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Dane

  THERE WERE MOMENTS in life when I’d wish I didn’t feel. I just wanted to be numb, and escape the turmoil that always seemed to be brewing in my chest. Standing by the window overlooking my driveway was one of those moments.

  I watched as my best friend Reid leaned against the red Jeep, and spoke to her. I had no idea she would show up here tonight, so when I heard her voice in my kitchen, I had to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating.

  I wasn’t.

  She was here.

  Kennedy Monroe.

  The object of my remorseless hatred.

  Her taillights disappeared down the road, and I was finally able to let the air out of my lungs. Reid came through the front door, and when his eyes found mine, I knew he saw it. The calamity of everything I’d ever felt towards a girl whose life I’d made a living hell. All because I couldn’t have her the way I’d always wanted her.

  It was idiotic, really. Our families had hated each other for years, and only our great-great-great grandfather’s knew why. Unfortunately they’d been dead for a while, so I couldn’t tell them to sort their shit out and get the fuck over it.

  My father told me a watered down version of our family history when I was a kid, and he made it clear that the Monroe family were our rivals. It all came down to land disputes, and oil. It never mattered to me though. I was told our family hated hers, and I was too young to question it – so I listened.

  When I was older though, it changed¸ and I started hating her for a whole new reason. A selfish reason. A reason that made it so easy to make her life as miserable as her existence had made mine.

  What can I say? I was an asshole. Sadly, I still am.

  “You okay, man?”

  I looked at Reid, realizing that I was still staring out of the window. “Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?”

  Reid’s eyes surveyed me. He was the only guy who could ever see through all my bullshit. We’d never openly spoken about Kennedy, but he’d been witness to all the shit I pulled on her growing up, and while he never questioned it, I knew he understood.

  “Just checkin’.” Reid walked past me, clipped my shoulder with his hand, and disappeared into the bevy of inebriated people dancing in my living room.

  It was the last night before everyone was supposed to head back to college, so it called for one final hoorah before school took over. I had too much riding on this semester to fuck up (again) so for me it really was the last night to let loose.

  On a scale of one to apocalyptic, my first year at college had definitely tipped closer towards apocalyptic. It was filled with booze, parties, and faceless girls, something my father hadn’t taken lightly. He’d given me an ultimatum – shape up, or ship out. To him that meant get my shit together or be cut off. So I chose to get my shit together.

  After grabbing a bottle of Jack Daniels, I made my way upstairs to my bedroom. I ignored the people filling up my staircase, and left the party downstairs to its own devices. I didn’t care what happened in my absence. The house could burn down and I wouldn’t have given two shits. In fact, I’d hoped that someone would accidentally set the place alight. That way I could be free of it.

  I locked my bedroom door, hoping to deter anyone who might disturb me, and sat down on my bed. The room was dark, save for the moonlight that came in through my windows, and I’d never felt more…lost. Alone.

  I unscrewed the lid off the bottle, and made sure to throw it somewhere I wouldn’t be able to find it. There was no way I was going to stop until this bottle was empty.

  I needed it to bring me the numbness I so badly craved, and the reprieve from the anger and hatred exploding between my ribs.

  The amber liquid burned as I took a swig, and as soon as my senses started to dull, I kept going. I fell back onto my bed, and shut my eyes, only to be assaulted with images of Kennedy. I did a mental check of how much she’d changed since I last saw her. She looked thinner, but not in a bony kind of way. Her hair was longer, and her body had far more definition that I’d remembered. And was it just me or were her boobs bigger too? They looked full, and lush, and perfectly rounded. Puberty had been good to her, obviously. Or maybe it was the tank top she was wearing that made them look that way. I might have hated her, but that didn’t mean my body was indifferent to hers.

  Too bad I could never act on those feelings though. My loathing now outweighed my desire to fuck her senseless, and I finally had a good enough reason to really hate her.

  Our lives were wrecked the night we graduated high school and while she wasn’t responsible for what happened, she was related to the person who was. That was enough for me.

  I had no idea where she’d been for the last year and a half, and I’d managed to convince myself that I didn’t care. As far as I was concerned, not having her around made my life easier, and it was after she’d left that I’d willingly fallen off the deep end.

  And now she was back.

  ** ** **

  I GROANED, AND tried to roll over onto my back.

  Fuck.

  My head.

  The smallest of movements made it feel like I had a caveman banging away in my skull.

  Why did I have to drink so much last night?

  Dammit.

  After a few minutes of trying to gather my bearings, I dragged my tired, hung over ass to the shower. I smelled like shit, and a quick glance in the mirror told me I looked like shit too.

  Truth be told, I felt far worse than I looked.

  My brown hair was disheveled, and my eyes were bloodshot, with dark purple bags underneath. Not exactly a pretty sight, but it wasn’t anything a hot shower and fresh coffee couldn’t fix.

  When I was sure I’d all but scrubbed the alcohol out my system, I dried off, pulled on some clean clothes, and headed downstairs in search of some fresh java.

  The house was a fucking mess. Empty cups, and beer bottles were strewn across the floor, along with a few random bottom feeders who’d obviously passed out at some point during the party. I stepped around the after-effects of last nights’ blow out, and found Reid leaning against a marble counter in the kitchen with a cup of steaming coffee in his hand.

  “He has risen,” he joked, taking the cup to his mouth.

  “Fuck off,” I replied. I grabbed my own cup, and silently praised the heavens that the coffee was still fresh.

  “Did you have a bad night, pumpkin?”

  Reid was joking, I knew that, but my sense of humor had yet to make a re-appearance after last night. Or perhaps it was chilling at the bottom of the empty Jack Daniels bottle I left next to my bed.

  I flipped him the bird from over my shoulder, and then added milk and two sugars to my cup. Reid chuckled, and mumbled something under his breath. I would have asked him to repeat it, but I didn’t have the energy. Not to mention the fact that even talking hurt like a motherfucker.

  “You disappeared last night,” remarked Reid. He emptied his cup, and rinsed it before turning back to face me.

  When the caffeine made it possible to talk without hurting my head, I replied, “I got over it, so I went up to my room.”

  I avoided his gaze, and shrugged, as if he’d accept that as a good enough explanation.

  “Did it have anything to do with Kennedy showing up here last night? Because you were fine before she came. In fact, I seem to remember walking in on you with some brunette’s mouth around your junk.”

  I frowned. “Don’t be stupid,” I replied, biting back my sudden annoyance. “Why the fuck would I care if Kennedy was here?”

  Reid’s brows arched, and he crossed his arms. “Because you kinda threw that chick off like she was a disease as soon as you heard Kennedy’s voice.”

  Fuck. He had me there because I did in fact throw Misty off me when I
thought I’d heard Kennedy’s voice. She wasn’t impressed, but it’s not like I promised her more than getting the chance to suck me off. I might have hinted at the possibility of reciprocation, but the moment Kennedy showed up all bets were off.

  “That’s what I thought,” Reid added. He pushed himself off the counter, and stopped at the mouth of the kitchen that led back into the living room. “We need to get going. You calling the cleaning service to come clean this place up before we lock up?”

  I nodded, and then looked away. My jaw ticked, and my body was rife with agitation. Pushing that aside, I called the cleaning company I used after every party I had, and made arrangements for them to come clean up before Reid and I headed back to the university campus. They’d clean up, and cover all the furniture with cloth, and that’s how the house would stay until I needed a place to crash when the dorms closed over break. My parents moved out shortly after I graduated high school, and honestly I couldn’t blame them. It was no longer a home for us, and only held the memories that hurt.

  My mother needed to get away, so my father took her with him on a few business trips, and when they came back I found out he’d bought another house for them a few hours away in Dallas. He couldn’t bring himself to sell our old one, so he’d left it vacant.

  I used it for my parties, which were almost a nightly occurrence this past year, and sometimes I’d come back just to be alone. To remember. No matter how hard it was.

  But, it was time to pack up again, and start my second year at Brighton University. I was studying a Bachelor of Science in Architecture, a decision I made because it was what I’d really wanted. I learned that life is too short to do what others wanted you to do, and you should follow your dreams instead of living out the plans someone else had set out for you. Too bad my douchebag of a father didn’t get that memo. He’d had his own dreams for me, and while we might have agreed on them at some point, fate had other ideas. And I listened.

  “You ready to start packing?” Reid asked as he came back into the kitchen. I’d been so busy staring out the window that I hadn’t even noticed the cleaning service’s arrival.

  “Let’s do it,” I replied. “Do you remember what dorm we’re in?”

  “Yeah, McDonald Hall I think.” He wriggled his eyebrows, and grinned. “Co-ed.”

  I shook my head, fighting the smile on my face. “And you accuse me of acting like a horny fifteen year old boy.”

  Reid shrugged. “What can I say brother, girls can’t get enough.”

  “Please,” I snorted. “You’re just waiting until Jade decides to give you the time of day.”

  Surprise flashed across Reid face before he asked, “What makes you say that?”

  “I’ve seen the way you look at her, and the way you watch out for her when she parties with us. I also know you guys got pretty close last year.”

  Reid sighed, and then pulled his fingers through his hair. “I won’t deny that I care about her, but we’re both having fun right now. I don’t think she’s ready for more.”

  I slapped him on the back, and started walking towards my bedroom. “It’ll happen if it’s meant to, you know that. Besides it’s a new year, and a fresh start. Who knows what’ll happen.”

  I left Reid in the kitchen, and grabbed a few boxes before we hit the road.

  I thought about what I’d said to Reid, and realized that a fresh start was exactly what I needed. I just hoped that nothing came along to derail my newfound determination to make a change for the better.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Kennedy

  JADE PLUGGED HER phone into her docking station, and started playing music while we unpacked. We’d arrived at the university campus a few hours ago, and had been getting ourselves settled into our dorm all day. Not that it was a dorm, really. It was more like an apartment. It had three bedrooms, an open plan kitchen that connected to the small but spacious living room, and a bathroom that looked like it had come from a catalogue. All three bedrooms were kitted out with double beds, desks, and matching dressers, along with a small closet built into the wall. There was a small window behind the bed that overlooked the sports fields, and part of the main road that had convenience stores, a few bars, clothing stores, and book shops. Being located an hour away from the actual town of Brighton, it could have easily passed for a small town on its own.

  The buildings had that old Southern charm, having been designed that way when they were built, but they still reeked of wealth. It was all elitism at its best, and only the wealthy could afford to attend.

  Our building was one of the smaller ones, with only eight floors, and six double rooms on each floor. It was the newest, and the nicest. We’d definitely struck gold.

  Jade started humming along to Meghan Trainors’ ‘All About That Base’, and after a while we were both singing along at the top of our lungs. It was all horribly off key, but that didn’t stop us in the slightest.

  We stopped unpacking, and started dancing around our dorm as if we hadn’t a care in the world. For those few minutes, it felt like I had nothing to worry about, that my life outside of school wasn’t in complete shambles.

  Jade started twerking, and I laughed at the way her face morphed into a duck face. I followed suit, and it wasn’t long before I felt eyes on us. It was then that we realized our front door had been open the entire time, and we’d attracted an audience. Until now, our floor had been quiet, but more and more students had started arriving.

  The song changed, and we tried catching our breaths after our little performance.

  Someone started clapping, and Jade and I whipped our heads in the direction of the sound. Reid stood at our door, and walked in with an idiotic grin on his face.

  I froze, while Jade looked happy that he’d caught our little show.

  “Don’t stop on my account,” he said, smiling at Jade. “I’d like to see that again.”

  Jade shrugged. “Too bad, Cole. It was a one time performance.” Her eyes were bright, and her cheeks flushed. I doubted it had anything to do with dancing though. She had a thing for Reid, but neither of them had ever acted on it because they’d been best friends since Kindergarten. Seeing the way they were together made it impossible to miss that they were perfect for each other, but they were too unwilling to cross that line.

  “That’s too bad,” he said. “You girls are pretty good.”

  “Jade will have to give you a private show,” I quipped, winking at Jade when she gave me her what-the-fuck look. I considered it payback for last night. “I don’t think I’m the one you want to see.”

  Reid turned his smile my way. “Yeah, sorry Kennedy. You’re not my type. But you know I love you.” He winked, and I chuckled. He was an incorrigible flirt who made most women swoon. Including my dear friend who looked ready to strip him naked and take him right here in the living room. Awkward much?

  “Reid, where the hell are you?”

  Another figure filled the doorway, and as soon as I saw who it was my happy mood left the room like a herd of stampeding elephants. My mouth twisted in a scowl.

  Reid turned to face him, ignoring the sudden shift in atmosphere. “I was just getting reacquainted with our neighbors.”

  “Neighbors?” Dane and I sputtered in unison.

  “Wait, you guys are next door?” Jade asked. Her eyes darted between Dane and me before she looked back up at Reid.

  “It would appear that way,” he replied. He was the only one grinning, while Jade looked worried. Dane was staring holes into my face while I was imagining how much sexier he’d look without his head.

  “That can’t be right,” I said. “McDonald Hall is a girls’ dorm.”

  “Actually,” Dane said, stepping into our place. “It’s co-ed.”

  Why hadn’t I seen that in the brochure? Not that it really mattered. It wasn’t the co-ed part that bothered me. It was the fact that Dane was going to be living right next door.

  “And you’re next door?” Jade asked again.

 
Reid nodded, oblivious to the tension brewing between Dane and me. Or perhaps he was just ignoring it.

  “I’m sure if you ask nicely, the Housing Department can move you to some dump off campus,” remarked Dane. “Maybe they can find an animal shelter willing to take you in. They’re good with stray dogs.”

  My scowl deepened, and my jaw ticked. My face warmed as my blood boiled beneath the surface of my skin.

  “And I’m sure if you asked nicely, they’d be happy to relocate you to the nearest brothel. That is where you’d feel more at home right? Between a pair of spread legs,” I replied.

  Reid whistled, and out of the corner of my eye I saw Jade’s mouth drop open.

  “You’ll be thinking about me between someone else’s legs when my ‘activities’ keep you up at night, Kennedy. God knows I can make ‘em scream.”

  I glared, unable to find an appropriate response. When I remained quiet, Dane smirked in victory. God, I hated him. And I hated that he was taunting me. Unwelcomed images of him having sex with some girl flitted into my head, and I shook my head slightly to clear them away.

  “Dane, don’t be a dick,” said Jade. She came up to my side, and I was silently grateful. “Unless you want me barging in there and dragging your bed fly out by her hair in nothing but her birthday suit, I suggest you put a muzzle on whatever you bang. I like my beauty sleep.”

  I covered my mouth, stifling the sudden burst of laughter that threatened to escape. I loved Jade dearly in that moment, and the fact that she had no brain-to-mouth filter really came in handy.

  Dane was about to respond when Reid intercepted. “Okay, enough with the insults. We’ll be leaving now.”

  He turned around, and started ushering Dane out the door when Jade said, “One last thing Reid, don’t come to us if you need sugar.”