by Cole Lepley
Mason rolls his eyes. “Oliver, do you think decisions like these are made casually?” Ollie finally looks up from his phone with disinterest, causing the frown to deepen the lines on Mason’s face. “If you’re really serious about getting on board with this business, you should be paying closer attention.”
“It’s not that hard, dad.” He shoves his phone in his pocket while walking in front of us. He gestures to the lodge. “There’s a building,” he says, waving his hands around it in the air. He takes another step back, pointing to the ground at his feet. “And here’s where you can put another building. What’s so hard about that?”
Mason pinches the bridge of his nose, taking in a sharp breath. “It’s not that easy. You need to factor in the logistics of everything. You don’t just put a building wherever the fuck you feel like.”
I lock eyes with my father, while taking a step away from them. They continue their argument as we step off to the side. I grip the back of my neck. “Are they always like this?”
“Yeah, pretty much.” My father appears thoughtful for a moment before he continues. “Although, Oliver has never really shown much interest in working out here. Apparently this is new territory for them.”
I smile. I know exactly why he’s doing this. Now that his ex-girlfriend, Charlie, is back in town, he’s determined to prove to her he’s grown up over the past five years. So far, I can’t say he’s been too successful.
“Most things are new territory for Ollie,” I add with a laugh.
He pats me on the shoulder before pulling his sunglasses down from the top of his head. For late September, it’s exceptionally warm in West Virginia. We walk a few steps down the cobblestone sidewalk towards the lodge.
“So, your mother and I are coming up for Homecoming in a few weeks,” he says.
I shove my hands in pockets, not meeting his eyes. I shrug. “Really? It’s not a big deal or anything. If you’re busy…”
“Nonsense,” he cuts me off. “We wouldn’t miss it.”
Sweat starts to trickle down the back of my neck and it isn’t from the heat. At this point, there’s a very good possibility I’ll be dressed like a total douche before the big game. I’m about to protest further when the sight of Elliot walking toward us stops me in my tracks.
She’s effortlessly beautiful. It’s the way she walks, the air of confidence that surrounds—she’s the total package and I still harbor serious regret for how I treated her. It’s amazing she still talks to me.
My dad nudges my shoulder, leaning down to whisper. “She can smell your fear, son,”
His eyes are teasing, but I’m having trouble finding amusement in it. “Very funny.”
“I’m kidding.” He gives me another small nudge forward. “Go talk to her. I have to get back before Mason murders her brother.”
With a small nod, I continue in her direction.
“Good to see you, Elliot,” he calls over his shoulder with a wave of his hand.
“You too, Mr. Holloway.”
She flashes another smile before throwing her arms around my neck. I hug her back, breathing in her comforting scent. I’m not sure if it will ever matter how much time passes, she still makes my heart beat a little too fast.
“I missed you,” she says softly.
With a sigh, I hug her tighter. “I missed you, too.”
She pulls back and holds me at arm’s length. “You look good. How’s it been going?”
“Okay, I guess. I’ve been trying to keep busy.”
Elliot smiles again before nodding forward. She starts walking toward the lodge and I fall in step beside her. She gathers her hair in her hands and flips it to one shoulder.
“Yeah, me too.”
The flippant tone of her voice makes me think something’s not right with her. Although she seems to be her typical, cheerful self, I can always tell when she’s putting up a front. I bump my hand with hers.
“What’s up? You seem weird.”
Her eyes meet mine while she starts to mess with her hair again. They focus forward and she shakes her head. “It’s nothing.”
“Come on, Elle. Just tell me and maybe I can fix it.”
The corners of lips perk up ever so slightly. “It’s not your job to fix things for me anymore.” She glances over at me again, her vibrant eyes somewhat clouded in sadness. “Besides, you don’t really want to hear this. I’m probably being overly dramatic.”
I gently grab her elbow, causing her to stop. “Don’t say that. If it’s bothering you, then don’t brush it off like it’s no big deal.” I tilt my head down to her and smile. “Talk to me.”
She laughs once. “Are you sure? It’s about Hunter.”
“I kind of figured that.”
Elliot takes a breath and I brace myself.
“Okay, well, it’s a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. Even though I’m not far away, being at college is so much different than high school. I’m doing all these new things he already experienced and I can tell that he’s not happy about it.”
“Like what?” I try to keep the discord out of my voice. I don’t like the fact that he’s making her feel guilty for living her life. His controlling nature with her is one thing that’s always worried me the most.
“My sorority. He hates that I want to be a part of it, but it’s something I’ve always been looking forward to.”
My initial reaction is to tell her to get rid of him, but I know that’s not right. She wouldn’t be upset if she didn’t care so much for him, and for that, I know I need to be fair about the advice I give.
“Do you want to know what I would do?”
She nods, smiling again.
“Be honest with him. The biggest downfall of any relationship is keeping things from each other.” I give her a pointed look. “You and I both know that, babe.”
“You’re right.” She turns her head for a moment, looking down toward the slopes. When she turns back to me, she lets out a heavy sigh. “It’s harder with him though. His mind always goes to a place of doubt and he tends to overreact.”
My jaw tenses. Holding back my thoughts on Hunter may be harder than I thought. She sees the strain on my face and back steps quickly. “It’s okay, though. He’s just protective of me, that’s all.” She closes her eyes for a moment. “This is weird, right? I should stop talking.”
“No,” I say. I shake her shoulders to get her to look at me again. “We’re friends, aren’t we?”
She nods, so I continue. “And friends talk about stuff like this.” I pause, biting the inside of my cheek. I release my hold on her with a shrug. “Maybe I’ll even need your advice?”
This causes her to smile again. “Did you meet someone?”
I don’t reply right away. My eyes search her face for some sort of disapproval. A twitch, an uncomfortable shuffle—something. It’s fucked up that I want it to bother her as much as it used to bother me. But it doesn’t. Her eyes are hopeful as she stares back at me waiting for my answer.
“I’m not sure yet. Too soon to tell.”
She nudges my shoulder with hers. “She’s a lucky girl, whoever she is.”
I’m about to come off with some sort of bitter response when I see Oliver jogging up the sidewalk. He comes to a stop beside us, still exuding irritation.
“Can you believe that shit? Four fucking hours of standing in a field doing basically nothing. If that’s the skill I need to master to be a part of this business, I hate to break it to him, but I’m practically an expert by now.”
Elliot’s quick to give him a look of disapproval. “I’m sure it wasn’t that bad.”
Oliver points dramatically to where our fathers’ are still standing. “You go down there then.” He turns to me and clasps my shoulder. “Let’s go in the bar and watch the game. I need a fucking drink.”
“Okay, man,” I say with a laugh. “I’ll be right in.”
He looks between us skeptically for a moment before giving a terse nod. “All right
, but don’t fuck around too long. The first quarter’s about to start.” He pats the front of his Patriot’s jersey with purpose. “Tom needs my support. He can sense I’m not watching yet.”
Elliot gives him a shove toward the lodge. “You’re ridiculous, you know that?”
Oliver walks backward for a few steps, flashing a crooked smile before spinning around toward the entrance.
When we’re alone again, the lightness he brought to our conversation goes away. Elliot runs a hand through her hair before nodding toward her car parked in the lot beside us. “I should probably get going, anyway.”
I shove my hands in the pockets of my jeans and nod. “Yeah, I should get in there. I know he wanted to talk about some shit while I’m here.”
Her hand glides down my arm. “Well, if anyone can help him, it’s you. You’ve been a really great friend.” She pulls her hand away and then adds, “To both of us.”
“That’s what I’m here for.”
I mean those words more than I thought I would. Even though it’s still difficult to be around Elliot, it’s getting easier, and I think I know the reason.
Chapter 12
Weakness
Mackenzie
He tastes like whiskey as he kisses me so hard I can hardly breathe. My hands are pinned above my head so tight I can’t even feel my fingers anymore. I don’t think I could, anyway. My head is spinning. It may have something to do with the drink I had. Although I only remember having one.
His lips trail a path across my cheek and down to my ear. “You still wanna be a bad girl, Mackenzie?”
The only response I can give is the moan I can’t hold back. When his hand claps around my throat, my eyes pop open. His gaze is dark and menacing as he tightens his grasp. “Words, baby. I need to hear you say it.”
I try to move my arms, but they’re still locked above me with his other hand. The weight of his body on mine is almost suffocating, but I don’t ask him to stop. I find the strength to nod and he releases my neck, moving his fingers downward.
He finally lets go of my wrists and tilts my head to the side. His breath against my cheek is sweltering as he speaks. “Look at him.”
I squeeze my eyes shut tight, shaking my head. I’m making him angry, but I’m not sure how much more of this I can take. His hand snakes up the back of my neck, grabbing a handful of my hair holding me against the pillow. It should probably hurt, but I don’t feel it. I’m still floating.
“If you want to be bad, you have to let him make you feel good.”
The guy sitting in the chair beside the bed takes a drag from the cigarette pressed between his fingers. He’s still wearing a football jersey, but the games’ been over for hours. In the fog of the dimly lit room, his teeth gleam with a sinister smile. My stomach rolls and I turn myself once more to give a pleading look back to Sean. “Please,” I whisper.
His movements against me resume while he stares down at me, thrusting harder. The way he continues to look directly into my eyes is paralyzing. They’re so black, I can’t even see the warm, brown shade anymore. He’s always been intense, but when he’s like this, I barely know him anymore. He pauses, bringing his face inches from my lips again.
“Do as you’re told and he’ll go easy on you this time.” He kisses me once softly before moving off of me. The harshness of his words is drowned out by the gentleness of his kiss. He knows my weakness. It’s always been him. I want to make him happy, even if it costs me my dignity.
Out of the corner of my eye, I watch him grab the cell phone from the table next to the bed before shifting back to lay at my side. The light shining across me now is too bright and I close my eyes again.
When I reopen them, the guy seated in the chair snuffs out his cigarette. I take a shallow breath as he stands, moving toward me calmly. My stomach heaves again and I fight back another wave of nausea. The only thing I can hear is Sean’s sardonic chuckle from beside me. I don’t look at him again because I can feel the tears welling up in my eyes. This is his twisted game, and I never say no…
The pounding on my door is relentless when I’m jolted from sleep. My hand flies to my chest in an attempt to still my thumping heart. The sheets beneath me are drenched in sweat and my eyes continue to adjust to my room.
I’m in my room and no one else is here.
I’m okay.
I’m okay.
The assault on my bedroom door commences again. “Mack! Are you awake?”
I close my eyes again, every part of my body clenched so tight. “Zander, go away.”
His voice is muffled, like his face is pressed right up against my door. “I can’t. I need your help.”
With a sigh, I shove the covers off of me and force myself out of bed. Zander stumbles forward when I pull the door open and smirks. “Oh, you’re awake.”
“Of course I am,” I say through my teeth. “What can I do for you?”
The smile on his face fades as his eyes scan over me. “You okay?” He reaches out to brush back the hair that’s sticking to my forehead. “You look disheveled.”
“It’s hot in here. My fan isn’t working right.”
I regret that stupid excuse when his eyes drift to the blades circulating rapidly on my ceiling. He raises an eyebrow. “Mack…”
I push him to the side, moving around him in the tight hallway and walk toward the kitchen. “What was so important you had to wake me up like that?” I grab a bottle of water from the fridge as he trails behind me like a lost puppy.
“I lost my keys again.”
Shaking my head, I take a large drink from the bottle. “They’re in the freezer.”
His face scrunches in disbelief. “Bullshit. Why would I do that?”
I set my water bottle down with purpose and pull the freezer door open. Zander continues to deny that he sleepwalks. I hate to break it to him, but I have a long list of crazy shit he’s done in the middle of the night. I lift the ice cube tray and grab his car keys from underneath it before tossing them to his chest. He catches them, still dumbfounded.
“Because you always do.”
“That’s just weird.” He dangles the icy crystals off of them and laughs.
“I can’t explain half the things you do and I’m not sure I want to.”
Zander smiles. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.” He walks over and throws his arm around my shoulder, planting a kiss to the side of my head. “You’re like the wife I never thought I wanted.”
I force a smile back. “You’re welcome.” I pull away from him and start walking to the bathroom. Not even his typical, charming self can bring me out of my current fog.
“You want coffee?” he calls just before I reach the door.
I give an overenthusiastic thumbs up before stepping inside and locking it behind me. Lowering the lid of the toilet, I sit down, clasping my hands on my knees. I focus on taking deep breaths through my nose. It’s been a while since I had a dream like that. They’re never really good, but this one was so vivid I can almost taste the stale smoke on my tongue. I continue to focus on my breathing so the walls will stop feeling like they’re closing in around me.
Twenty minutes pass until I finally have the strength to turn on the shower. I let the hot water attempt to wash away the disgust clinging to my skin.
It doesn’t help, but I always try.
An unwelcome knock on the door startles me hard back to reality again and I jump. I knock my shampoo bottle and about a dozen of Zander’s shower products to the floor with a string of obscenities.
“Zander! Stop doing that.”
It goes a couple beats before he says anything. This time, his voice is soft. “I got you a latte with extra soy. I’ll leave it on your nightstand.”
I want to smile, but I can’t. He always tries to make me feel better when he knows I’m upset, but this time, I don’t think my favorite morning beverage will pull me out of this.
After wrapping a towel around myself, I step out of the bathroom with
a cloud of steam trailing me. I was in there far longer than I intended. I stop in my tracks when I see Judah standing in the living room. This isn’t happening right now.
His eyes rake over me and my already heated skin flushes further. I tighten the towel under my arms. “What are you doing here?”
He gives me that sexy half grin of his and my heart pounds in a good way for once. Well, good for most people. Bad for me.
“It’s Monday. You have class in like twenty minutes.”
I nod. “Right.”
Judah smiles a little wider. “I don’t mind, babe, but you think you want to get dressed before we leave?”
I’m suddenly very aware I’ve made no attempt to move yet. I take a breath. “Give me ten minutes.”
He smiles again as I turn and make a beeline toward my bedroom. Meeting Judah in my hallway half naked was not how I wanted to start this morning off. I fumble for a pair of jeans and a T-shirt that isn’t completely wrinkled. I put on a quick coat of mascara and lip gloss before scouring my floor for my notebook. For some reason I’ve been lacking organization lately, and it’s really starting to drive me insane.
I decide to let my hair take on its natural wave instead of being late and trying to fix it. Judah shouldn’t have to suffer too, since I so clearly can’t get my shit together.
When I emerge into the living room again, Judah is seated on the couch with Zander sitting across from him.
“That sounds awesome, man. We’d love to come,” Zander says. The excitement in voice tells me that I probably won’t want to. Which is probably the reason he’s looking forward to it.
I stop by the front door, eyeing him curiously. “Come where?”
Judah looks over at me immediately, taking me off guard with his gaze again. He runs his hands along his thighs before he stands. “Um, it’s just a party at my buddies’ frat this weekend.”
“Not just any party,” Zander interrupts, leaning forward in his seat. “It’s Sig Phi’s annual graffiti party.” He smiles like a kid on Christmas morning, but I still have no idea what he’s talking about.