by Alla Kar
“Ms. Scott and Mr. Tate. I don’t appreciate your lack of respect for my class and myself. So, what to do with you both? I could overlook it…but I don’t think I will.”
Of course not.
Jacks pinches my side and I bite my lip to keep from laughing.
“I volunteer at the Cook Off down at the YMCA every year. It’s coming up. If you two show up and help, I’ll excuse this rudeness. Then we can go on with our lives.”
Cook Off? What. The. Fuck? Just because Dr. Phillips doesn’t have a life, doesn’t mean we don’t. “I—”
“We’ll be there. When is it?” Jacks asks.
I scrunch my nose and bite back a smartass remark.
“This Sunday at seven. Then the final round will be next Tuesday at six. I suggest you two show up and do your share. I don’t appreciate childish bullshit in my classroom.”
Sure, you don’t. Jacks gives Dr. Phillips a half-assed salute and pulls me closer to the door. “You asshole,” I say, shoving his shoulder.
Jacks raises his palms in mock surrender. “I’m sorry. He was going to make us miss a test or something. You know how they are. I can’t miss any more tests; I’m graduating next semester. And I refuse to stay here any fucking longer.”
I roll my eyes. “I hate you.”
Jacks wraps his arm around my shoulder and pulls me in close. “Like hell you do.”
Chapter Two
Laney
“No one said it was going to be easy.
But no one said it was going to be this hard.” - Coldplay
I look like a stereotypical blond. Heather is standing in front of me, hands clasped in front of her. She looks like a proud mom. “Oh, sweetheart. You look so sexy. Who would have known that you have an ass?”
I lift an eyebrow. “I look like Kim Kardashian.”
Heather fluffs her hair in the mirror, tugging down her already too low-cut black T-shirt. “That’s a bad thing because?”
I refuse to answer that. “I just want to get this over with. I don’t know why Bethany is so worried about Aiden anyway. He’s slept with half of the female student population. Plus, he isn’t even that cute.”
Heather turns around and lifts an eyebrow at me. “Okay, he is a little attractive, but he isn’t any good. He will stomp all over her heart. He already has.”
Heather tries to fix my top. “Well, you can help her snag him. You helped me with Todd, who is going to be at The Loft tonight.” She squeals.
I almost regret helping her. If I have to see them stick their tongues down one another’s throat one more time, I may gag myself with my own fingers.
“Come on, you look like a sexy bitch. Let’s go.”
Heather and I drive to The Loft in her black, 1967 Camaro. Her dad is a mechanic and has every vintage vehicle known to man. I tell her about Jacks and me in class today. She laughs and says I’m on my own. She goes home every Sunday for church with her family. And I doubt she would try to miss it for a Cook Off.
She has the radio blasting and is smoking a cigarette. I grab my stomach and roll down the window. It’s not the smoke that bothers me, it’s the familiarity. He used to smell like that. He would take long, luscious drags before glancing up at me from under his long lashes. I force the memories back down. I can’t—I won’t think about him. Not now. Not here.
“Sorry, is the cigarette smoke bothering you?” Heather starts to wave the smoke away from me. I don’t trust my voice enough to answer. I glance out the window and watch as The Loft comes into view.
“You know, that girl in the lounge today had a point…why don’t you have a boyfriend? I mean, you’re so cute, with your alternative clothes and little figure. I just…how do you know so much about boys, yet you haven’t dated anyone since you started college?”
Sighing, I run my hands over my hair that Heather made me leave down for tonight. “I just haven’t found anyone worth dating. I just know what to expect. Any girl can do it, all she has to do is sit down and realize all guys want one thing. Once they get it, they’re done, finished. Unless, you make them work for it. Guys like a challenge. It’s common sense.”
“Well, maybe we could find you a sleeping buddy for the night. Get you a good lay in. You deserve it, babe.”
A good lay in? Hell to the no. Knowing the guys at our school, I know that I want to keep my STD tests negative. “I think I’ll just worry about Bethany tonight.”
Heather rolls her eyes and parks the car. “Okay, let’s do this.”
The Loft is slammed with college kids. The bouncer takes our money and lets us through the door. Heather wraps her arm through mine and pushes us a path through the crowded bar. Bethany is sitting at a table with another girl, sipping some girly drink. Her eyes light up when we get to the table. “This is the girl that’s going to help me,” she says, patting my shoulder. Her friend gives her a what the hell looks and excuses herself. Obviously, I’m not up to par.
“Bitch,” Heather yells, flagging a waiter down.
Bethany wraps her hands around my arms and pulls down to get my attention. Her eyes are narrowed, and she is looking at the dance floor. I follow her gaze and sure enough, Aiden Sims is grinding on some girl. Classy.
Bethany is swooning over him as soon as I look back at her. I snap my fingers in front of her eyes. “Stop that. That is always a no-no. No giving boys any more of a big head than they already have. Now, what’s your relationship been like with him? What’s happened?”
A pale look swallows her face. She nibbles at her lip and picks at her finger. “He asked me out last weekend. We came here and danced…then went back to his place.”
“Back to his place? What happened after that?”
She has to be lying. I point-blank asked her in the lobby if they had sex. She is swooning over a guy she just met? Really? They definitely had sex. She takes her drink and downs it. “We had sex,” she yells, covering her face with her hands.
Great. I take her hands and put them down by her side. “Look, no crying, that’s another rule. Guys hate that. He’s already gotten what he wants out of you; there is no going back. Sorry.” I shrug. “I can’t help you anymore.”
Bethany begins to nod and doesn’t stop for a few minutes. I want to feel bad for her, but she brought it upon herself. Keep your legs closed, is what I want to yell. Stop letting him touch you! You take control. Always be in control.
Heather places a shot glass down in front of me. I raise an eyebrow.
“Don’t act like you’ve never seen a shot glass before, Lane.” She downs hers and gives Bethany a worried glance. “So, this is a no go?” She gestures between the two of us.
I nod and sip a little of my shot. Gah, nasty shit. Bethany places her elbows on the table and reaches for some chips. “I don’t know what to do. I mean…I just…I liked him and I thought he liked me. So, I went back with him. I’d had a little bit too much to drink…and God, he smells like Heaven.”
I roll my eyes. “You want to try someone else? Any other guy you’ve had your eye on?”
She shrugs and runs a finger over the rim of her empty glass. She looks so innocent with her strawberry blond hair and big blue eyes. “No. Look at him out there; he looks so carefree and happy. Why can’t I move on like that?”
I take a chip and chomp on it. “Because he was never looking for anything but a one-night stand. He got it, now he is on to his next target.”
Bethany mumbles. “I wish we could just break his heart and show him how it feels.”
Yeah, right. Taking a couple of chips, I shove them in my mouth. I shouldn’t have skipped dinner. Heather was on my ass all night long about looking slim for the club. I reach for another chip when I see Bethany and Heather are both staring at me. You know, with those we took a vote and you lost eyes.
“What?” Suddenly my chip isn’t very appetizing; I toss it back into the basket.
Heather wiggles her eyebrows, which really shows me that they’re up to something I won’t like. “Well,
since you know how to treat guys…you can go out with him, then break his heart once he falls in love with you. You’re freaking adorable and have the nicest ass. He likes asses.”
Wow, is that supposed to make me feel better? “What—absolutely no. No. No. No. Not going to happen. You want me to go out with the damn ass monster.”
“Oh, come on, Laney. You can date him for a couple of weeks and then be done. Please…I would do anything! He deserves it, look at him!” Bethany shouts, pointing at him.
I glance over my shoulder at Aiden. He is grinding on some girl and checking another one out. I scoff. “Sure, he is an asshole, Bethany. But I’m definitely not your girl for this.”
Heather opens her mouth to say something when two tree trunks of arms wrap around her from behind. She squeals as he nuzzles her neck. “Hey, girls. You three having a great night?”
I hold up my half-empty shot glass and give Todd a sarcastic smile. He snorts and starts to pull Heather toward the dance floor. He has no idea I coached Heather through their entire dating experience. It didn’t take long before he was texting her nonstop and asking her to be exclusive. Sucker. They seem happy together so I can’t say it wasn’t worth it.
“I just wish I had that,” Bethany says, pointing toward Heather and Todd.
I grab my shot glass and down the rest. “I’ve got to go to the bathroom. Will you be okay until I get back?”
She nods and glances off into the distance. She doesn’t know it, but there is no way she can make me feel guilty for not pretending to date this guy. I’m not the one that had sex with him.
Scooting my chair against the tile floor, I start toward the bathroom. I push my way through the crowd. A few elbows get shoved in my face and a couple of half-drunk assholes fall on me. I push even harder and thank God once I break free of the crowd. The florescent bathroom light blinds me, so I walk in with my hand cupped over my brows, eyes squinted. Several girls are doing their make-up in the mirror and don’t even look my way.
“I can’t believe how hot he is,” one says.
Placing the plastic toilet seat cover over the top, I sit down.
“I know. He is almost too sexy. I mean, take me home whenever you like, Aiden.”
I mentally throw up on myself and flush the toilet. The girls leave as I open the stall door. They look just like Bethany. The same kind of dress and obviously they all love Aiden as well.
After I wash my hands, I push past the bathroom door. There are a group of guys standing just outside the girls’ bathroom. Tucking my chin toward my chest, I push past them and into the crowd. I can vaguely see the top of Bethany’s head when a heavy arm flops onto my shoulder.
What. The. Fuck—
“Hey, baby,” someone slurs into my ear. Damn, have you ever heard of a breath mint? “Wanna dance with me? I like dat ass you got back there.”
Fucking gross. “Okay, get off of me now.” Pushing the tree trunk of an arm over me, I turn around. Aiden is staring down at me, a devilish smile rising from the corner of his full lips.
“Baby, you know you wanna.” He reaches out and tries to grab my shoulder.
I duck out of his reach and start toward our table. Heather must still be dancing, because Bethany is the only person sitting there. She is texting and she seems like she is in a better mood. “Took you long enough…what happened to you? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
I give her a shaky grin, then grab her drink and down it. “No problem, just a long line in the bathroom.” My tongue is starting to feel heavy. What in the hell did Heather give me?
I wipe my palm against my sweaty forehead. “So—”
“Baby.” Ah, fuck face. “You ran away from me…why?” Aiden slides into the seat next to me, running his fingers through his blond hair. I’m sure he bleaches it, but we’ll let him think we think it’s real.
Glancing at Bethany, I shrug. She is wide-eyed, her fingers clutched tightly around her shot glass. “First off, I’m not your baby. I’m no one’s baby. Secondly, I have no idea who the fuck you are and you don’t know me. Why don’t you go find someone else to dance with, huh?”
He chuckles and tosses his arm around my waist, pulling my chair closer to his. “Oh, baby…we don’t have to know each other.”
Okay, this is starting to get annoying. “For the last fucking time—”
“Hi, Aiden.” Bethany glares at him from across the table. She is mad as hell. Aiden squints, his mouth falling open. He looks like he is trying to figure out who she is. “Hi, Aiden,” she says, louder this time.
I almost tell her I think he heard you, but decide to keep my mouth closed. He stands up, getting closer to her face. A blond strand of hair falls and he pushes it back up, scratching his scruffy jaw on the way down. He doesn’t remember her, it’s pretty obvious. Bethany is livid. I can practically see the damn heat rising off of her.
“It’s Bethany, you asshole. My name is Bethany. You fucked me last weekend. Remember? Or you don’t? I guess it’s pretty obviously that you don’t.”
Aiden seems a tad more sober now, but he tilts his head and gives Bethany a once over. “Nah, you sure?”
Ah hell. Everyone hide their silverware, she’s going to lose it. Tears are building at the corners of Bethany’s eyes. A sadness that I’ve seen too many times. Aiden doesn’t notice; he is too busy staring down my shirt. “So, what about that dance?”
Bethany is holding her breath. I bite my lip and close my eyes for the briefest of moments. This is the stupidest thing I’ve ever done. “Not a big dancer, but I wouldn’t mind something to drink.”
Aiden smiles. This is music to the devil’s ears. “Anything for you, baby. I’ll be back in a bit.”
Bethany is staring at me when I glance back over at her. I raise an eyebrow. “Get up, let’s go.”
She furrows her brow. “What do you mean?”
I grab the remainder of someone’s drink and toss it back. I feel the burn all the way down to my toes. “Let Momma show you how it’s done.”
Chapter Three
Lachlan
“Don’t you ever say I just walked away,
I will always want you” — Miley Cyrus
“Come on, mate, I don’t have all damn day.”
The taxi driver is sending daggers at me through his review mirror. I salute him until he glances the other way. Damn this American traffic. I haven’t been back since high school, but I’m not missing it as of now. Jacksonville’s traffic is way worse than I remember. I thought there wouldn’t be one reason for me to ever come back here, until Lucas called and said he was getting married. Dirty twit.
The taxi driver swerves through the crowded street and pulls up to Lucas’s apartment building. Thank God. Grabbing my bag, I toss him the money and step out.
“Damn British asshole,” the driver mumbles beneath his breath.
Slamming the door with my foot, I say over my shoulder, “I’m Australian, arsehole.”
The place is a lot nicer than I expected. Lucas wasn’t raised with much, and I liked that about him. When I moved to Florida with my parents when I was thirteen, Lucas took me in as a friend. When my parents and I moved back to Australia four years ago, it killed me deep down to leave her, but I knew I needed to. I started to hate this place as the years went by. Just the thought of Florida made me hurt.
Building C is in the front, so I take the stairs to room three twenty-three. Before I can knock, the door swings opened. “You Australian bastard.” Lucas opens his arms wide and grins like a Cheshire cat.
Unable to control myself, I pull him in for a hug.
“Damn it, bro. I was hoping you’d gained some weight. I don’t want my best man looking better than me at my own wedding.”
“I won’t brush my hair, maybe that’ll give you a shot. I haven’t seen you in yonks, how have you been?”
He lifts an eyebrow. Damn, I forgot. I need to talk American. “It’s been a long time, how are you?”
Lucas laughs and gest
ures for me to follow him. His apartment is messy, but that’s no surprise. It’s large, and that sixty-two-inch telly seems very satisfying. “So, where is this lovely fiancé? I’m dying to meet her.”
Lucas calls out from the fridge, bringing two beers out. “She is at school. She has late classes on Fridays.”
I nod, hoping he’ll change the subject quickly. When I told Lucas I wasn’t going to college he flipped the hell out. Not that my dad didn’t give me enough shit about it. “What do we have planned for tonight? I wouldn’t mind getting into a little trouble.”
I take the beer from Lucas’s hand and pop the top. It feels great sliding down my throat. “You were always great at picking party places. How about you show me what you got?”
Lucas scratches the back of his neck, and I can see that he’s debating what to say next. I’m not sure why. “I didn’t ask you to strip down into your knickers and screw me, Luke. Just a drink at a bar? Maybe get a little plonked for old times sake, mate.”
Lucas sits across from me and laughs, sipping on his beer. “I don’t really go out much anymore since…”
“Since you’re getting married?” Ah, damn. “Are you marrying one of those spewin’ whinger girls?” I’m just bullshitting him, but he seems so uncomfortable. “I’m just joking with you, mate. We can hang out here for the night, if you want.”
Lucas sighs, then props his feet on the table. “So, how was your flight?”
“Fucking long. Not to mention the taxi driver going ten miles the entire way here. I wanted to strangle him.”
“Tell me about it,” he says, avoiding eye contact.
That’s it. I place my beer on the table. “What’s going on? You’re acting stranger than usual. Go ahead and spit it out, buddy.”
Lucas laughs. “Is it that obvious?”
I nod and gesture for him to continue. He stands and comes back a moment later with a flier in his hands. “It’s this Sunday. I know you liked to cook in high school, but this isn’t High School Musical and you need to own this. You’re not in school, you’re a whartie, right? Whatever the hell that is.” He presses his lips together. “Do this. What do you have to lose?”