by Bella Emy
She smirks. “Well, can’t say I’m surprised, D. But damn, I hope you’re being careful. She’s dirty.”
I shake my head with a wry grin. I knew she wouldn’t let that slide. “She’s not dirty,” I protest.
“Dude, she’s been with more guys than the whole high school class we graduated with.”
Damn, that’s saying a lot considering we had close to five hundred students by the end of senior year.
“Well, maybe. But I like her, that’s all.” Is that the truth? Do I like her? Or am I just trying to like her so I can hopefully get the one chick I can’t forget out of my mind?
Damn, Ellie… what are you doing to me?
I mean, of course I find her extremely attractive. I’m not blind.
I look at the ground, but Lauren instantly grabs my attention again.
“Damn, Derek. I just always thought you’d end up with someone more like…”
“More like what?” I challenge.
“Well, you know who,” she adds.
I don’t. I have no idea who she thought I’d be good with. “No, who?”
“Ellie.”
“Ellie?” What. The. Actual. Fuck. Why did she have to go and say her best friend’s name? There is no way Lauren would ever be cool with Ellie and I ever hooking up. Like, not ever. Not a chance in hell. I know my sister. She means someone like Ellie… not particularly Ellie herself.
“Yeah, someone like Ellie. Someone smart, beautiful…shit, if she weren’t like family, she’d be perfect for you.”
Yeah, Ellie is all those things. But she’s also her best friend and would kill me if she knew we had already hooked up once before.
“What, you don’t think so?” she pushes.
I can’t continue sitting here with her. I’m going to break. Why the fuck is she being so pushy about who I screw all of a sudden?
I stand up from my seat and place my hands on the back of the chair I was just sitting in. “Of course, she’s beautiful, but you know she’s not my type,” I lie right through my teeth.
She raises one eyebrow and says, “Oh, yeah. I forgot. You like blonde bimbos with big bazookas who are an easy lay. Got it. Here.”
She tosses a small rectangular black box at me, and I catch it in mid-air.
“What the hell?” I turn the box around, holding a pack of condoms in my hands.
“Going around with chicks like Natasha, you’ll never have enough of those, lil’ bro.” She chuckles, and I just want to toss the box right back to her. Instead, I pocket it. She’s right. It’s not like it wouldn’t ever come in handy. Chicks like Natasha do carry their own condoms, but I guess you can never have enough. And I’m not stupid. I don’t want to end up catching some disease. I’ll save the condoms.
“Thanks, sis,” I say, walking out of the kitchen.
“Anytime, D. Anytime. Hey, D?”
“Yeah?” I ask, peeking my head back into the kitchen.
“Be careful with Natasha. You’ve had your heart broken before… you don’t want to go through it again.”
“Sure,” I say and head back toward my room. But she doesn’t know that Natasha is not capable of breaking my heart. What I feel for her is not love. It’s pure lust, and that’s all I’ll ever let myself feel for any chick ever again.
17
Ellie
“Ells, what about this one?” Lauren asks, pulling out a sparkly black top from the rack at Trendz Gallore. It is the hottest department store in town with all the latest fashion trends and styles for those special occasions. New Year’s Eve is in just three days.
I love this store. Not to mention that it’s just a few doors down from Derek’s tattoo shop…
I’ve been back from Mom’s for two days now, but I have yet to run into Derek. Lord knows what he’s been up to. Knowing him, he’s probably found his next piece of ass to conquer. I wonder if he’s at the shop. I looked for his car when Lauren parked hers on the block but didn’t see it. Maybe he took a walk?
“That’s really cute. It’ll look nice with your pink mini skirt you’re planning on wearing for Kev.” I wink at her. I pull out a pretty, shimmering lavender top and hold it up against my chest, facing the ceiling-to-floor mirror to my right. I pull up the tag. Forty-nine ninety-nine. Not bad.
“Ellie! That looks great on you! You should totally buy it!” she exclaims, walking over to me.
“I don’t know. Maybe.”
She places her chin on my shoulder, her reflection meeting mine in the mirror. “Hey, Ells?”
I pull the shirt away from me. “Yeah,” I say, turning to face her.
“I know Christmas was tough at your mom’s with the recent passing of your grams. You doing all right?”
I shrug. “Yeah, Laur. It was okay. Wasn’t as bad as you’d think. Although I did run into Shaun…”
Her eyes widen. “That creep? What the hell was he doing there?”
I shrug again. “My mom invited him… said he’s been like one of the family. Plus, he was the one she had track me down to tell me about Grams.”
“Ugh! He makes me want to punch his fucking face in!” She pushes a strand of dark brown hair out of her eyes.
“Yeah, I know. That’s my luck, though, you know? I attract all the assholes.”
She makes a face throwing her hands up in exasperation. “Ugh! I hate leaving you home alone on New Year’s Eve. Why don’t you come with me to Kev’s?”
I furrow my brows. No way in hell am I ruining Lauren’s time with her new man. They were getting along so wonderfully, and I don’t ever remember seeing her this happy. She needs this. I won’t be the one to mess it up for her by third wheeling.
“Lauren, I’ll be fine,” I say, placing the top back on the rack. “I don’t mind staying home. I’ve got my day all planned out. Plus, there’s this new Alyssa Drake book I want to get into. I can’t wait to dive in. It’ll be the perfect evening. You go ahead and enjoy your time with Kev, I promise I’ll be fine,” I say, placing a soft kiss on her forehead.
She lets out a deep breath. “Oh, Ells. One of these days, the right guy is gonna come around and just sweep you off your feet. I just know it.”
Ha, yeah right. There is no Mister Right for me. Just maybe a Mister Right Now…
“Oh my God! Did I tell you?” she screams, practically jumping out of her skin. She places the glittery black top on the counter, and we wait for the cashier to ring her up. She turns to face me with her eyes bulging out of her head.
“I’m kind of afraid to hear,” I giggle. “Tell me what?”
“Derek’s been hooking up with Natasha Hussey.” She makes a disapproving face.
Immediately, the world seems to stop spinning. Heat climbs throughout my body, and I swear I can feel bile rising up from the back of my throat.
Natasha Hussey…the hussy. Big Tits Natasha. The girl had more names attached to her than I cared to remember. But Natasha Hussey… there was no way I could ever forget her after what she’d done to me.
The girl behind the register looks up at us. Embarrassment floods through my body. My best friend has no filter. She had just blurted Natasha’s name, making a face like it was the normal thing to do. What if someone here knows her? Chances are, they do. It’s not that big of a town. I smile nervously at the cashier.
Yep, the warm and acidic sensation of vomit rises up in my throat, and I want to hurl. Natasha Hussey? He had gone and slept with Natasha Hussey… especially after he had done so with me? UGH! So fucking gross. There is no one dirtier than Natasha Hussey, and odds are that she’s boning Derek because she’s bored. Fucking skank.
“Hey, you alright? You look like you’ve just seen a ghost… you’re as pale as a sheet. You feeling okay, girlie?”
Um, no. Not really. I feel like I’ve been smacked in the face with yesterday’s gym socks. I want to vomit.
“Huh? Oh yeah, yeah. I’m fine. I just think lunch isn’t sitting right with me,” I lie. I know she’s not buying it because the look she
gives me right now tells me otherwise. Her eyebrows are furrowed as she places one hand on her hip.
“Thirty-four fifty-five,” the young redhead—Cindy, from what I’ve gathered from her nametag–says from behind the register, interrupting our conversation.
Lauren hands her a fifty dollar bill, and we wait for her change. Once Cindy does and then gives her the bag with her top in it, we exit the store.
“Ells. Seriously. You sure you’re okay? I mean, I know my brother is disgusting, even more so now for screwing Hussey, but shit. And I know we both can’t stand the hoe, but it’s nothing new.”
Opening the passenger door of Lauren’s car, I hop in and buckle up. When Lauren gets in and does the same, I realize I’d better say something, anything, to get her off my case.
“Yeah. No, I’m fine, fine. I just can’t… God! Is he really fucking Natasha Hussey out of all the available women in town? I mean, there are a shitload of girls who’d only wish for one night with D.”
Yeah, me. Every single night since we have hooked up, and he had been amazing, I think.
Getting the images from the orgasmic night we spent together out of my mind, I continue. “Seriously, I don’t know what it is about your brother, but women fall over themselves for him. I mean, you’ve seen the reviews on Yelp for the shop. Yeah, they state what an awesome job he and Danny do, but they always somehow manage to put in the review how hot the tattoo artist was. He has no trouble meeting women, anywhere, for that matter. So why’d he have to go and sleep with our mortal enemy… again? Yuck! I thought he was done with her… isn’t that his rule, anyways? Sleep with them once or twice, but never again?”
Lauren chuckles. “Yeah, you know. My brother is King Cuntie. He doesn’t care who he bones as long as he gets laid. I guess Hussey is the only one without a life during the holidays.” She chuckles to herself, but I’m not finding this at all funny.
Sensing my annoyance, she says, “Damn, Ells. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you want a night with my brother, too.” Her expression is now serious, and she’s staring at me.
Fuck, I need to watch it. I’ve gone too far. I can’t have her thinking I like D.
But damn, I do. I haven’t been able to get his lips and hands that roamed my body out of my head since we had our perfect night together…
“Very funny,” I state as she pulls out of the parking lot and onto the main road.
“Yeah, like I said, Ells. If I didn’t know any better. But I do know better. Although I did bring it up to him the other day that you two would make a great couple…”
I turn to face her. Her gaze is fixated on the road ahead even if she’s stopped at a red light, and she could totally be giving me her undivided attention right now.
“What!” I exclaim.
She shrugs as a nervous smile graces her face. “Aww, don’t worry, Ells. I said someone like Ellie. But he made it very clear that you’re not his type.”
My heart sinks a little.
“Wait, what?”
“Yeah, we discussed this. You know he sees you like a sister. I thought that’s how you felt about him, too?” She glances over at me quickly before averting her gaze back to the street in front of her.
“No. Yeah, yeah. Of course, I do. I was just shocked you brought me up in the conversation.”
Turning onto our block, she says, “Yeah. I just thought you’re the type of girl who would be good for him. Straighten him up, keep him away from all these hoochie-coochie broads just with him for his money and looks.”
Yeah, owning that tattoo and body piercing shop sure does rake in the money. Girls see that and want it.
“But hey, don’t worry. I know you guys are like total opposites, and you find him completely and utterly disgusting like me,” she adds, pulling into the driveway.
If she only knew…
“Yeah, definitely. Totally disgusting,” I whisper.
“Plus, knowing my brother, he’d use you for sex and leave you lonely. I’d kill him for it, and then I’d have to kill you for being so stupid.”
Well, there’s the confirmation. If Lauren were to ever find out about Derek and I, she’d probably disown both of us. There’s no way I can ever sleep with D again.
Shit, listen to me. Talking like he even wants to do it again with me. He moved on to Natasha Hussey, and I know she is the woman of his dreams… perfect body, blonde, and a pretty face. What more could he want? Why would he ever choose me over her?
New Year’s Eve is here, and I’m on my bed totally indulged in the new book I had purchased a few days ago. The romantic scenes are making me even more depressed. I need a man. I want my body to be worshipped the way the men worship the women’s bodies in these novels.
“How do I look?” Lauren exclaims, barging into my room. She twirls around with the biggest smile plastered on her face. It’s seriously the cutest thing ever. She’s wearing the sparkly black top she bought the other day with me at Trendz Gallore with the pink mini skirt she had purchased about three weeks before.
“You look beautiful, Lauren,” I say, putting the book down on my bed and sitting up. Kev was going to be so happy to see her. My best friend was one of the prettiest girls around.
“Aww, shucks. Thanks, Ells,” she says, blushing.
“Sure. How long ’til Kev gets here?”
Lauren flicks her wrist and looks down at her watch. “He should be here within the next twenty minutes or so. Is my hair okay?”
“It’s perfect.” I smile at her.
Her long dark hair pulled up into a ponytail with curls cascading down her back looks amazing. She’s got on a light touch of makeup, too.
“You guys going to that restaurant that just opened in Meadowton?” I ask.
“Yeah, Kev got us reservations there tonight for dinner and dancing. It should be fun.” She instantly frowns.
I scrunch up my nose. “What’s the matter, Laur?”
“Nothing. I just wish you didn’t have to be here all by yourself tonight. I feel so bad about leaving you.”
I get up off of the bed and walk over to her. “Lauren, I promise I’m fine. It’s just one night. I’ll be okay. I’m going to finish this book.” I see her grimacing. “What? What is it?”
She plops down on my bed and I join her. “Well. It’s just that… it’s not only for tonight. Kev asked me to spend the weekend with him… but if you’re not okay with it, I’ll come straight home after. I promise I will, just say the–”
“What? No, are you kidding me?” I cut her off. “You go and spend the weekend with Kev. I’ll be fine, I swear. I want you to enjoy this. You deserve this happiness, girl. I don’t remember ever seeing you so happy.” Lauren has been practically walking on cloud nine ever since she has started dating Kev.
“I know, but you deserve happiness, too,” she says, placing her head on my shoulder.
“Hey, mine is just around the corner,” I say, trying to convince her, but in all honesty, I need to convince myself.
She perks up. “You’re right, Ellie. It is. I love you, bestie.” She pulls me into a hug.
“I love you, too.”
As if on cue, her phone rings. Lauren jumps up. “It’s him! He’s here! You sure I look okay?”
“No. You look absolutely perfect, giving Cinderella a run for her money.”
Two hours later, at a quarter after eight, I’m snuggled up on the couch underneath a large red fleece blanket totally basking in my story.
“God, is this what my life has turned into? Me, spending New Year’s Eve alone, rooting for the happily ever after of fictional characters? I need a life…”
The turning of the knob of the front door brings me out of my pity party. Looking up, I see him. After days of being away, he’s finally walking through the door. He closes it shut behind him.
Derek’s wearing sweatpants–again–and a dark blue hoodie. God, he looks so fucking hot. Is that sweat dripping off the side of his head? He’s carrying a black duffel bag
over his left shoulder. Finally, his dark eyes meet mine.
“Ellie. You’re back,” he murmurs loud enough for me to hear him.
I swallow hard. “Y-yeah. I just got back not long ago… maybe five days or so.” Damn, where has he been? I’ve been back for five days, and I haven’t run into him once… granted, I’ve been back to work and hitting the town shopping with Lauren on occasion, but still… every night, he hasn’t been here.
“Oh. I see. Lauren gone?” he asks. Placing his bag onto the floor to the right of the door, he walks into the kitchen and heads to the fridge. I can’t see him since the couch I’m lying on is facing the opposite direction, but I can sense his every move. He opens the door to the refrigerator, pulls something out and then shuts the door. He takes a few steps and is now standing in the living room right in front of me. He’s taking large sips of the bottle of Poland Spring in his hand. I watch his lips as he moves the bottle away, and I swear I think I’m drooling. It’s like this is taking place in slow motion. Once he swallows, he motions to the spot at the edge of my seat.
“Hmm?”
He chuckles. “Mind if I take a seat? I’m kind of exhausted from working out.”
Ah, that explains it. He’d been at the gym. Finally finding the words–and my common sense–I respond. “No, of course not.” I push the blanket off of me, throwing it on the other couch and sit up. He pulls off his hoodie, leaving him in a plain white T-shirt. I want to bite my bottom lip and fan myself. Fuck, why does he have to always look so Goddamn good?
He then sits to my left. Remembering he had asked me about his sister, I answer. “Yup, about two hours or so now.”
“He’s been good for her, right?”
I nod. Kev. “Yeah, he definitely makes her happy.” I look away. His gaze is causing me to want to jump his bones again. I can’t have that. I can’t do that. Plus, he’s probably still screwing Natasha or some other chick. No, most likely it is some other chick by now, knowing him.
“That’s good. She deserves it.”
I nod again, agreeing with him. “Yeah.”