Shark Bait (The Grab Your Pole Series)

by Cooksey, Jenn

  A short time later I overheard a partial conversation between Tristan and Pete and it sounded like Pete was apologizing…or, pleading for his life.

  “—was just all in good fun, you know that, right dude?” Pete asked with concern very evident in his voice. He was also having a hard time looking Tristan in the eyes. I’m not sure if he’s worried about his health or what, but he is worried.

  “Yeah, sure…no blood, no foul,” Tristan said with much hostility and a heavy dose of animosity.

  By the way, Tristan isn’t wearing a costume so much as a damned funny shirt. It’s a picture of French fries with a single onion ring in the middle of them and across the top it reads: “One Ring to Rule Them All” which is totally meant to be a play on the Lord of the Rings.

  “I promise I won’t so much as touch her ever again.”

  Tristan looked like he was about to go through the roof at the mere suggestion of it happening again, but he only turned around and left Pete staring at his fiercely rigid back.

  Now really, what the hell? I do not belong to him, so where does he get off with this proprietary attitude towards me? For Christ’s sake, he’s not even talking to me anymore, so I don’t see how he can justify this behavior in the least! I went to find Kate to complain and found her sampling some of the tasty treats laid out in the formal dining room. I don’t know if Mike had this thing catered or what, but you should see the spread here… There’s all kinds of food; from a honey-glazed baked ham all the way down to pumpkin shaped and colored rice crispy treats with chocolate drizzled over them, and there probably isn’t any kind of booze not present and there’s definitely no short supply of it either. All out indeed!

  “Can you believe the nerve of him?” I asked Kate with massive indignation after describing what I’d just heard and seen.

  Kate was licking chocolate off of her fingers, having just eaten her third chocolate covered marshmallow spider. They have licorice—blechk—legs and M&Ms for eyes…they’re really cute and I’d have a couple if it wasn’t for the licorice.

  “You know, Camie, it sounds like he’s coming apart at the seams…Jeff (who’s dressed as a bathroom wall complete with graffiti, paper seat covers, and toilet paper…freaking hilarious!) thinks a massive meltdown of some kind isn’t far off. He also thinks you should give Tristan a break, but totally understands why you’re not.”

  “Yeah, well this whole thing is his own damned fault. What’s your opinion? I mean, what do you think I should do?” I asked and watched her survey the sixteen-seat table laden with real food.

  She shrugged and started building a sandwich. “Honestly, I think this is something you have to figure out on your own…I mean you have to do what you feel comfortable with, you know?”

  “I get that, Kate, I do. I’m just looking for some direction...or feedback, something that’ll help me figure out where I’m at and where I should go.”

  “Okay, well, Melissa believes that deep-down, you still really wanna be with him, but the question is still can you put this behind you and forgive him, and also, you need to consider how long he’ll wait for you to figure it out. He still wants you, that’s obvious, but if this goes on much longer, Melissa and I both think there’s a very real possibility that he’ll decide to just say fuck it and move on. However, Jeff’s opinion is that Tristan’s fighting a losing battle by not admitting how he really feels about you and he’s not handling the guilt well at all. I personally think that if you guys can just hash this whole thing out, things might be okay but, I’m not you, if that makes sense,” Kate told me through a mouthful of her ham sandwich.

  Sighing, I looked into my empty cup and then stuck it under a spout for more O Positive. “I just don’t know, Kate, I mean…I feel like there’s this amazing connection between us and I do desperately wanna be with him but, I feel betrayed and so much more. I can’t get a handle on any of my emotions so maybe he should just move on because I don’t know if I’m ever gonna be able to confront him. And it’s obvious that I’ll have to be the one to do it but even if I did, I don’t know what I want so it seems kinda pointless for me to do right now.”

  Despite hearing those honest thoughts on the matter, I left Kate in the dining room without having gotten any further in knowing what I should do. Our conversation informed me though, that Kate and Jeff are now really talking again and apparently, Jeff’s being completely upfront about what’s going on with Tristan and me. So, it seems, the only people who aren’t talking openly about us, is us…

  With everything else going on, I’m sure you can probably imagine how the tension climbed several notches when dressed as an unimaginative pirate, Zack showed up with a good handful of his friends. In the beginning he was simply friendly and we hung out in a group in the living room for a while. It really wasn’t a big deal; at least I didn’t think it was. However, when Mike asked me to help him bring out some more Jell-O shots from the second fridge in the pantry, I was surprised to find his intentions for asking me were something entirely different from needing another pair of hands.

  The second he shut the door and we were alone, Mike turned serious and got straight to business. “Look, I don’t know what’s goin’ on with you guys and quite frankly, I don’t need or even wanna know, but I like you Camie, so I just hope you know what you’re doin’ by spending time with Zack.”

  “Mike, I appreciate the concern but really, I’m not interested in Zack and I don’t get why talking to him is such a big deal. Things between Tristan and me are really messed up right now and we’re not even talking. Besides, it’s not like he has any rights to me anyway, so it’s ridiculous for me to have to pick and choose who I’m friends with based on him.”

  I’ll be honest, I’m feeling slightly annoyed. I really do like Mike, but I’m getting tired of being told how much Tristan hates Zack…it’s like everyone telling Jillian how much I hate Teresa. I mean come on, I’m more than aware of that fact. Not only has he personally told me, but I see it in Tristan’s face and I can even feel it, but he’s the one who refuses to actually say anything about what’s going on now or how feels about me and it’s pissing me off!

  “Alright, if you say so, but I just wanna warn you…even if you don’t like Zack, that feeling is not mutual and when, not if, but when Zack does something to prove that fact and Tristan sees it, because I goddamned guarantee you that Zack will pick the worst possible moment to rub it in his face, things are gonna get bloody. And I’d stake my life on it happenin’ tonight. You might believe Tristan doesn’t have rights to you, but Camie, I promise you, he thinks he does and most every guy here acknowledges that. And another thing, your costume is just beggin’ for trouble. I already know he’s really unhappy just with the looks you’re gettin’ from other guys…fuck, he almost tore Pete apart after those body shots and they’re really fuckin’ good friends. Seriously, I think the only thing that saved Pete from a trip to the ER was that Tristan didn’t watch him actually do any of ‘em…

  “What I’m getting at here, Camie, is that I don’t think there’s anyone else in attendance tonight with a fuckin’ death wish who’ll put his rights to you to the test aside from Zack who’s actually lookin’ for an opportunity to do it. So when the shit goes down, I hope you’re ready…that’s all I’m sayin’.” Mike then opened the door for us to re-enter the party without having brought out any Jell-O shots whatsoever.

  So yeah, Mike pretty much says what’s on his mind alright and now thanks to his little version of an intervention, my nerves are wound tighter than a watch spring. Mike also gets to keep his life because he was right about tonight and, well...everything.

  Feeling the weight and strain from what “Heff” had seen fit to confide in me, I did a couple Jell-O shots—I don’t know, maybe it was more like five…I’m in no condition to do math of any kind. I refilled my cup and then, to get away from the strobe lights inside, I went outside for some fresh air.

  All the trees and bushes were decorated with dimly lit ghosts and
bats with purple lights strewn throughout, while with the aid of realistic looking headstones and cobwebbing, strategically placed buckets of dry ice and multiple fog machines, the rest of grounds were done up to look like an ancient graveyard. The effect wasn’t so much creepy as it was mysterious. At least it would’ve been if the party music hadn’t been piped outside through a surround sound system with speakers that looked like rocks. That and add the myriad people milling about the backyard snapping pictures; the mystery factor was toned down quite a bit.

  I decided not to tempt fate by deliberately socializing with Zack and his friends, who by the way were all being rather rowdy. Instead, I returned to hanging out with my regular group. Tristan, however, was nowhere to be seen.

  Some time later I was trying to not think about my predicament by dancing the night away, but because of Tristan’s unknown whereabouts, I didn’t try to find a way to skirt Zack when he came up to stand next to me. Jeff was throwing daggers at him with his eyes, but he did a really good job of keeping his cool for Kate whom he was periodically holding out a bowl of shrimp cocktail for her to munch on whilst she boogied. Mike was merely watchful and most everyone else pretended like it wasn’t an issue, although everyone knew it was. Melissa joined the largish group of us dancing while Keith came up and stood next to Zack with his arms folded across his chest. His stance gave me the distinct impression that although Keith and Zack are friends, Keith wasn’t too happy with Zack at the moment.

  And then, in the blink of an eye—which is pretty damned quick—the shit Mike had warned me about finally came down. It all happened so fast and in a blur that a lot of details are next to impossible to give, but it all started when Zack simultaneously leaned down to say something to me, which totally looked like he was about to kiss me. And now that I think about it, I think maybe he was because he also put his hand smack-dab on my ass to pull me towards him. As I glared at him and made to swat his hand away, I heard a variety of voices saying different things, but all spoken essentially at the same time…

  Pete: And here come the fireworks, right on schedule...

  Mike: Oh fuck, this is gonna hurt…

  Jeff: Shit! Katy, get outta here! Now!

  Kate: Wait! What’s going o—Oh my God!

  Keith: Zack, you fuckin’ idiot!

  Melissa: Camie! Watch out!

  Tristan: Oh that’s it!! You’re a FUCKIN’ DEAD MAN…

  Before I even had a chance to process the fact that Tristan had materialized some unknown distance behind me and seen what Mike had said he would, Pete grabbed my arm and yanked me out of the way, then he threw me into Melissa who dragged me back even further.

  All I can say that I saw with any clarity was Tristan in a blind rage take one swing at Zack, which I’m pretty sure would be considered a TKO in boxing. He would’ve gone down but Tristan held onto to him, apparently not satisfied with it only taking once. At the same time Tristan’s fist made first contact with Zack’s face, what looked like a massive brawl erupted. Really, it reminds me of a scene out of West Side Story, except instead of it being the Jets vs. the Sharks, it was Us vs. Them. Them being Zack’s buddies and you should know who Us is by now, although I might’ve not mentioned everyone who would be considered an “Us.” There was a lot of yelling, swearing, shoving, and a good many punches being thrown. Now absurd as this is, I’m thinking God must be playing D.J. again because the moment the fight started, none other than Pink’s “So What” began playing…The Big Man certainly has a sense of humor, doesn’t He?

  Almost immediately after the fight broke out, Jeff wisely and expertly disengaged Tristan. He had the front of Zack’s costume in one hand and was about to put the fist of the other one in Zack’s face again, but with amazing strength and skill, Jeff held Tristan back from doing any more damage. After an all too short moment and still being more than fuming—I think it’s safe to say he’s still raging—Tristan literally threw Jeff off him but instead of rushing back into the fray, he came straight at me.

  I had no time to react—I honestly don’t know what I could’ve done anyway…run maybe?—before he seized me from Melissa who I’m now realizing had actually been holding me back from trying to get to Tristan while he was fighting. Then without a single word, he threw me over his shoulder. He must’ve looked terrifying and I must’ve looked petrified because just as Tristan turned to cart me away, I saw and heard Keith swear and make like he was going to try to stop Tristan from abducting me. I felt like saying, “Yeah, good luck, Keith. Did you not see what he just did to Zack? Since I’m a goner, you may as well save yourself. I appreciate the thought though, buddy.”

  “No!! Let ‘em go…this needs to happen,” Pete said, running up and catching Keith by the arm.

  “Fuck, that was an explosion alright…” Mike commented.

  “No shit. I’ve never seen him so pissed…you don’t think he’ll hurt her, do you?” Keith asked, wiping blood off his lip.

  “Hopefully not more than he already has anyway…” Jeff responded grimly, having come up next to them.

  “Jesus, he better not…” Pete said with what sounded to me like some concern. And to this day, I’m still not sure who the concern was for; me or Tristan.

  Although the guys were following Tristan and me, they were keeping a safe distance and their voices were fading. However, I heard Mike shout at Tristan before he reached the sliding glass doors of the house with me…

  “Don’t break anything and STAY OUT of my parents’ room!!”

  Oh and just so you know, I have a great view of Tristan’s really nice butt from up here, although what he needs is a good, swift kick in it instead of having it admired. And yeah, I’m thinking that none of the guys’ last remarks bode all that well for me or for what’s about to take place, but as Tristan crossed the threshold of the house, God’s next track was in stark contrast to that opinion. “I Gotta Feeling” by The Black Eyed Peas could be heard through all the speakers both outside and in, making me wonder if God is just as confused as I am…

  19.

  I’ll Need Some Gum

  Now mind you that because I’m still folded over Tristan’s shoulder and for the most part staring at his ass, I can’t see people’s faces—Shoes, I see a lot of shoes. Therefore, it’s impossible for me to know how everyone in the house is reacting to the epic biblical picture we must be presenting. I say biblical because the way the bodies are filling in the empty space behind us as he carries me through the house; it makes me think it must look an awful lot like Moses parting the Red Sea. I’m not even bothering to struggle either because A) I know it won’t do any good. And B) Pete is right; this needs to happen. I don’t know how much will actually be solved, though, because I’m so up in the air—no pun intended—and I really have no idea what’s going through his mind either, but we still need to get some things said.

  I’d also like to call attention to the fact that I’m extremely impressed by Tristan’s endurance and this amazing feat of strength he’s displaying…I mean I only weigh about 105 pounds, maybe closer to 108 after the movies last night. Seriously, we ate a ton of food… But just picture it if you will, he’s now taking the Gone With the Wind stairs two at a time! I mean come on! Impressive, right?

  Once reaching the hall upstairs, Tristan didn’t turn the same way as when he’d taken me to Mike’s parents’ room the night of the infamous punch fiasco, but instead he took a path to the right, through a game room with a pool table and down another hallway. I’m assuming that’s what it is but there are quite a lot of people up here so I could be wrong. He didn’t even stop to knock or anything when he reached the closed door of his choice, but rather, he aggressively grabbed the handle and threw the door open, causing it to ricochet off the wall and the startled couple in the room to shout their protests.

  “Get out.” From the dangerous menace of his tone, I’m guessing Tristan’s still very angry.

  “What the fuck?! Tristan, get the hell outta here!” The guy yelled.

&
nbsp; The voice is sort of familiar but I don’t know who it is and regardless, I felt embarrassed for all of us…

  Again, I remind you that I can’t see what’s going on because I’m still hanging upside down and yeah, the blood has totally rushed to my head, but from what Tristan then said, I’m deducing that he’s completely interrupted a sexual interlude. I mean at this stage of the game, awkward doesn’t even begin to cover it.

  “You have ten seconds to cum and get the fuck outta here or you’re gonna have an audience.” And let me impress upon you; that was no mere warning in Tristan’s dark voice.

  The couple was not happy with him, but they did vacate the room rather quickly after recognizing what he’d said wasn’t just a threat. I’m assuming they threw on some clothes, but I don’t think they took the time to actually get dressed. So, from my vantage point when I saw two pairs of bare legs and feet exit the room, I congratulated myself on being right, and then when Tristan slammed the door shut behind them so hard that the window actually rattled in its frame, I wished I could’ve gone with them.