“No problem.” He took his keys out of his pocket. “I’ll meet you at my place.”
“Sounds good. Thanks again.”
“Anytime, bro.”
As I followed Sonny home in his Chevy, I thought back to my conversation with Gus and wondered what in the hell I’d been thinking. It wasn’t the bet that worried me. It was trusting that he’d play fairly.
And what if she really was in on it?
Gus claimed that this was on the up-and-up. But, he was also from Lancaster and trusting him was probably a total dumbass move. But, I’d agreed and couldn’t back out. I’d be out one-thousand dollars if I forfeited now. I’d also look like a pussy. Being naïve was one thing, being a coward was far worse, as far as I was concerned.
Unfortunately, we’d also made a pact to keep this wager a secret, so I couldn’t talk about it to anyone. Not even my best friend, Sonny. There were too many jabber-jaws around me and I knew that it would get leaked and Mackenzie would eventually find out.
My cell phone vibrated and I picked it up.
A text message.
Mattie: Sorry about my dad. I had no idea he was going to show up tonight.
I didn’t blame her for her old man interfering with the race. I was actually surprised that he hadn’t busted us previously. I was just tired of dealing with her and the bullshit.
When I got to Sonny’s, I replied to her, telling Mattie it was no big deal.
Mattie: I wish you’d come over. My dad went back to work and my mom is still out of town.
Me: Can’t.
Mattie: Why?
Me: I’m tired and going to bed.
Although I was heading to Sonny’s, that was the plan. I was really tired and needed to sleep.
She sent me a nudie photo of herself, which almost changed my mind. But, my face hurt and I knew if I went to her, she’d think we were a couple again.
Instead of answering her, I turned off my phone and got out of the car.
“Thanks again for letting me stay over,” I said, following Sonny to the porch.
“No problem. It’s not like we don’t have room.”
An accurate statement. Sonny’s mom, Jane, was a successful real estate agent and they lived in a huge cabin on the north side of the lake. It was just the two of them living there. His older sister was away at college and his parents had divorced the year before.
We walked inside and headed upstairs to his bedroom. That’s when we ran into his mom. She was dressed in a short, white velour robe and held an empty wine glass in her hand. Her eyes were glossy and it was obvious, from the way she was swaying, that she was half-in-the-bag.
“I thought I’d heard a noise.” She looked at my face. “Oh my God, what happened to you?”
“It’s nothing. I just tripped over Sonny’s ego.”
She blinked and then realized I was joking. Jane laughed. “Must have been quite the fall, we all know how bit that thing is.”
“You two are hilarious,” Sonny replied. “You should do stand-up. Seriously.”
Jane smiled and looked at me again. “You should put some ice on that. It must hurt like a bitch.”
I shrugged. “A little.”
She turned to Sonny. “Why don’t you and get him some ice.”
He sighed and headed back down the stairs. “Fine. I’ll be right back.”
“Wrap it up in a washcloth,” she added.
“Okay,” he replied.
We were left alone and that’s when things turned awkward.
“Come here, let me see that eye of yours.” She moved so close that I could smell the soury sweetness of her breath. “So, tell me the truth. Who gave you that black eye, Chase?”
“Just some asshole.”
She smiled grimly. “Let me guess, you drew the attention of a girl and her boyfriend got jealous?”
I shoved my hands into my front pockets and chuckled. “No.”
Jane took a step back and her robe loosened a little. She looked down. “Oh, dear.”
Out of respect, I looked away.
“This darn robe.”
I watched, out of the corner of my eye, as she tugged at the belt, until it opened all the way, revealing her heavy breasts and black panties. It wasn’t anything I hadn’t seen before. His mom had flashed me on a few other occasions, when Sonny wasn’t looking. Although she was pretty hot for an older woman, she had a drinking problem and it was more embarrassing than anything. For both of us.
She laughed. “Peek-a-boob. Sorry.”
“No problem.” I pulled out my phone and pretended to check my messages.
Jane set her wine glass down on the hallway table and stepped closer to me. “Your poor eye.”
I stiffened up as she lightly touched my other hand and then grabbed a hold of it. She placed it on her breast and let out a soft moan. “I bet I could make us both feel better.”
Embarrassed, I pulled it away quickly. She’d never taken it this far before. I felt sick to my stomach. I thought of Sonny as a brother and this felt so wrong. “I should probably get going,” I mumbled.
She tightened up her robe and took a step toward me. “Wait, no. Don’t do that. I’m sorry. That was… uncalled for. Please, don’t say anything to Sonny.”
The desperation in her voice made me feel even sorrier for her. I sighed and nodded. “I won’t.”
“I appreciate it.”
I knew that Sonny’s dad had cheated on her and had a feeling that she was trying to prove something to herself. I just hoped she picked someone else to try and seduce in the future.
Swaying, Jane picked up her wine glass and without another word, went downstairs.
Sighing in relief, I waited at the top of the steps, not exactly sure what to do. Part of me wanted to leave, but there was really no place for me to go. Home was out of the question.
A few seconds later, Sonny returned with a small icepack.
“Sorry about my mom,” he muttered, with a disgusted look on his face.
Had she told him?
“What do you mean?”
He handed me the ice pack. “You know. She’s fucking lit.”
“It’s okay.” I touched the ice pack to my face and winced. “Thanks.”
“No problem.” He frowned. “She didn’t try anything did she?”
I didn’t have the heart to tell him. He’d be mortified. So, I lied. “No, why?”
He placed his hands on the bannister and stared down below. “Last week I actually caught her having sex with the plumber. She didn’t know I was home and I walked into the kitchen....” he shook his head and closed his eyes.
Imagining the scenario, I felt disgusted for him. “Oh, man.”
“I pretended not to notice but… some shit you can’t unsee.”
“Yeah, I bet.”
He turned. “Let’s get some sleep. I’m exhausted.”
“Yeah, me too.”
We headed to his room. Once inside, Sonny, opened up his closet and pulled out the inflatable airbed.
“You know, we should just get a place together. I know you’re sick of your dad and the hell if I want to walk in on my mom getting smashed by the pizza guy.”
I chuckled. “What about college?”
“Fuck it. I’ll go to the one here in town.”
It was just a community college and I knew he’d wanted to try a university. “No, way. You’ve wanted to be a doctor since you were twelve. You need a good Ivy League.”
“No, I believe I said I wanted to ‘play’ doctor,” he joked.
“Right. Seriously, though, you can’t throw that dream away.”
He plugged the mattress into the wall and began filling it with air. “I might not even get accepted,” he said. “I don’t know if I want to even waste my time applying.”
“Bullshit. You’re always getting A’s. You’ll get in somewhere.”
“Maybe.” He yawned. “What about you?”
“I don’t know. I was thinking of taking auto me
chanics somewhere. That way I can keep working for Lenny’s, too. Who knows, maybe I’ll open up my own shop one day.”
“Here in town?”
“Fuck no. I’m leaving Diamond Lake, bro. I want to get as far from here as I can.” I was tired of the small town bullshit, where everyone was into everyone’s shit. Of course, my real dream was to be a professional race car driver. There was no way I’d get close to that sticking around here.
“Where would you go?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe Vegas or California.”
“But, you’re going to stay and finish high school first, right?”
“Probably. I guess it depends on how things go.”
“If you need a place to stay, you’re more than welcome here.”
There was no way in Hell.
Not with Mama Peek-a-boob.
But, I wasn’t about to admit that shit.
I smiled. “Thanks, man.”
After we both took showers, I lay on the airbed and thought about all the shit that had went down that day. I had a lot of mixed feelings and hoped that I hadn’t made a huge mistake. Not about leaving my old man’s house, but placing such a ridiculous bet. My gut told me that I’d fucked up. The problem was, I was too excited about where that ride was going to lead. Hell, I already wanted the girl. The money really was icing on the cake. It was a win-win if I beat him to the prize. It looked like Gus really wasn’t the only asshole who enjoyed playing with fire.
16
Mackenzie
The next morning, Grandma Rae wanted to know all about my evening with Kara and the others. I left out the race, but told her about Herschel’s Diner. I also mentioned that I filled out a job application.
She pulled out a couple of small rollers from the top of her white hair and stuffed them into her housecoat. “Oh, now that would be a fun place to work. The only thing is…” she bit her lower lip, “how will you get there?”
I hadn’t thought of that.
She continued. “I can probably drive you home, but if you’re working right after school, we’ll run into problems.”
“I’ll just ride my bike.”
She sighed. “Winter will be coming soon. Not to mention, you can’t ride it home at night. It’s too dangerous.”
I sighed.
She handed me a muffin. “I tell you what, if you get the job, we’ll go shopping for a car. I’ll borrow you the money and you can pay me back with monthly installments.”
I squealed and gave her a hug. “Thank you.”
“Of course. You should have one anyway. I feel better with you driving around rather than relying on your friends all the time. Your mother mentioned that you were a good behind the wheel.”
The mention of my mom made my chest tight. “She did, huh? Well, she was the one who taught me.”
Grandma Rae smiled. “Your mother was very proud of you. You know when she was growing up, they didn’t require so many hours of practice before taking the driver’s test.”
She started reminiscing about how frightened she’d been when my mom would go driving alone after getting her license.
“Anyway, I shouldn’t have been worried. I found out later that her brothers had practiced with her when I’d been at work.”
“Yeah, she mentioned that a few times. They were very helpful. Especially Uncle Joe.” The oldest.
“Joe. He always had a soft spot for his little sister,” she said, smiling in memory.
“I looked at the clock. “Oh, crap. I’ve got to get going. Kara is giving me a ride this morning.”
Grandma smile. “Oh, that’s nice of her. I’m so glad you two became friends.”
“Me, too.” I quickly finished my muffin, grabbed my backpack, and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. “See you tonight.”
“Have a good day, dear.”
Ten minutes later, I was in the passenger seat of Kara’s vehicle and we were headed to school.
I pulled down the passenger side mirror and applied some clear lip gloss to my dry lips. “Thanks again for the ride.”
“No problem. You’re right on the way.”
We rode in silence which started to feel awkward. I tried making conversation, but she seemed like her mind was miles away.
“Is there anything wrong?” I asked.
“I’ve just had a bad morning.”
“Did you want to talk about it?”
It took her a few seconds to answer. “I wasn’t going to say anything, but I’ve been getting hassled. I’m just really pissed off about it.”
“Who has been hassling you?”
“Some of Mattie’s friends. They were giving me shit for hanging out with you.”
Just hearing it made my blood boil. “Seriously?”
“Yeah. I can’t believe them. They’re all such bitches. Sometimes I feel like we’re in middle school, the way the A-squad acts. It’s ridiculous.”
“What happened?”
“I received some texts and messages on Instagram.”
“What were they saying?”
“Just… bullshit. It sounds like Mattie is claiming that you are trying to steal Chase from her. Apparently, she learned we were at Herschel’s last night. And that he was, too.”
“We were there first,” I said angrily. “Oh my God, I can’t believe that bitch.”
“I know. Be careful today. I think they’re going to start shit again. If not Mattie, one of her friends.”
I looked out the window. “Let ‘em.”
When I arrived at my locker, I noticed Mattie at hers, along with the two girls I’d seen at the race. All three looked over at me and started whispering. Ignoring them, I grabbed what I needed from my locker and headed to my first hour class.
“Sit over here,” Sara called out, when I walked into the room.
I headed toward the back, sat down in front of her, and studied her face. “You look really tired.” She had shadows under her eyes and was yawning.
“I’m exhausted.”
She started telling me about a series on Netflix that she was addicted to. “Of course, I just had to turn it on after I got home last night and ended up watching two episodes. Now I’m paying for it.”
“What series?”
She told me. “It’s so good. You should check it out.” Sara stared behind me. “Uh, oh.”
I whipped my head around and found Mattie standing there, glaring at me.
“I hear that you’re talking smack about me,” she snapped.
Me, talking smack about her?
Right.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She leaned down so that we were face-to-face. “Bitch, first you try going after my guy and now you’re spreading rumors about me? Who the hell do you think you are?” she hissed.
I was dumbstruck. “First, I’m not after your guy. Second, I do not gossip.”
“Bullshit. That’s not what I’ve heard.”
“And, what exactly was that?”
“You already know.”
“No, I don’t. I haven’t been saying shit about you,” I said incredulously.
In all honesty, I had been saying that she was a “bitch” but that wasn’t a rumor.
“You’re such a liar,” she replied.
“Mattie, she hasn’t said anything about you,” Sara said.
She looked at her and snorted. “You would stick up for her.”
“What in the hell is your problem?” I snapped.
“You are,” she sneered. “Just keep it up and you’ll be sorry.” She smacked the textbook on my desk and it landed loudly on the floor.
Two guys watching us snickered.
With a satisfied grin, Mattie turned around and went back to her desk.
Gritting my teeth, I picked up the book and had to persuade myself not to go over and slam it into her face.
“I can’t believe her,” Sara whispered, glaring toward Mattie’s back. “Actually, scratch that. I can.”
I was so angry, I was shaking. “She’s crazy. I haven’t been spreading rumors. You know that.”
“I know.”
The bell rang and everyone settled into their seats. As the teacher began to talk, I glanced over at Mattie and wondered what kind of rumors were being spread about her. It was then that I recalled what Gus had mentioned about seeing her at some beach party last summer. A lot of people had overheard it and I had a feeling the gossip was related to that.
“What do you think, Ms. Dumas?”
I jerked my head toward the teacher. What in the hell had she just asked me? “I’m sorry, what was the question?”
“Why do we need Calculus? Mr. Jacobs apparently didn’t pay attention the first day and thinks it’s a waste of time,” she replied.
I wasn’t sure as to whom she was referring to, but I felt the same way. “I wasn’t here the first day. I’m not entirely sure myself,” I replied honestly.
A couple of people chuckled.
“But, you did read through your chapters last night? The ones I assigned you,” the teacher said.
I swallowed. I had read through them before going out last night. But, most of it hadn’t stuck. I’d been too overwhelmed with trying to catch up on everything.
I decided to guess.
“To study how things change?”
I heard Mattie snort.
The teacher glanced coolly at her and then looked back at me again. “Acceptable answer, Ms. Dumas. It provides a way for us to create simple quantitative models of change and then deduce their consequences.
I let out a sigh of relief.
“Ms. Robbins, can you tell us what the word ‘derivative’ means in Calculus?”
Mattie’s shoulders tensed up. “The difference between two things?”
“No. I’m quite surprised that you don’t remember this. We’ve been discussing it for the past couple of weeks. A derivative is a function of a single variable at a chosen input value…”
As I listened to the teacher ramble on, I had a sinking feeling that Mattie was even more pissed at me than before. Because I’d been able to answer my question and she’d failed to.
“I imagine you’ll get it right the next time I ask?” Mrs. Robinson asked. “And you won’t ridicule another classmate because you believe their answer to be incorrect.”
After Burn (High School Bully Romance) (Diamond Lake High School Book 1) Page 8