A Bad Boy Stole My Bra

by Lauren Price

  “I didn’t grab anything,” he mutters uncomfortably. “Shut up.”

  “Well I can’t believe that he hasn’t introduced us until now.” Natasha smiles warmly, tucking a curl behind her ear. “Boys huh? Hey, you should come with Alec to my mom’s barbecue in a few weeks. I think a few of Alec’s friends are coming too, so you can help me increase the girl population in the house. I’m sure Alec wants you to come,” she says, elbowing him.

  “I’d love to,” I say, glancing at Alec for his approval. He just shrugs, which I’m not sure whether to take as a subtle hint for a no.

  “Anyway, I have to go and help my mom in the kitchen,” Natasha apologises. “I was on my way there when I saw you two, and I couldn’t resist coming over to say hi. She’s making the cake for the party, and I’m second in command. It was so nice meeting you, Riley. I hope I’ll see you again soon.” She offers me a somewhat dorky and endearing wave, before heading off in the opposite direction, her elegant silver dress flowing behind her. She looks like a model, yet she’s only our age.

  Alec’s family has a pretty damn amazing gene pool.

  “So.” Alec’s voice snaps me out of my reverie, and he sounds sheepish. “Do you want to dance? That’s what everyone else is doing. Might as well do it now, before Fiona arrives and the food is served . . .”

  I spin round to look and sure enough, the adults are pairing up and making their way to the dance floor together. I don’t recognise the song playing, but I nod to Alec anyway, a small smile making its way onto my lips. Now don’t go thinking this will be all romantic, because it probably won’t. I bet he’ll step on your feet or something.

  I shake my head to clear my thoughts, letting Alec lead me to the dance floor. “Can you dance?” he whispers to me as we stop, and he puts a hand on my waist. The skin under my dress tingles like it’s alive with electricity at his mere touch. He stares down at me, and I’m struggling to breathe.

  “Not a clue,” I whisper back, breathing in his musky vanilla scent. “You?”

  “Not really.”

  “Remind me why we’re dancing then?”

  Alec doesn’t reply, but I can tell he’s amused. Slowly he begins to bring us into a basic box waltz, about the limit for me in the dancing area. I raise my eyebrows at him in question as we bob from side to side, before he raises my arm above my head, pushing me lightly into a spin under his bicep.

  “I can dance a little bit,” he admits with a grin.

  “That dance move is old, Wilde. I did that with boys at elementary.”

  “But it wins you over anyway, doesn’t it?”

  Crunch.

  Pain swells in my foot and I wince, breathing in sharply. “Well standing on my foot certainly doesn’t win me over.”

  “Er – well, yeah.” Alec glances away gracelessly, as I try to suppress the pain. Still it’s not all bad. Mr Smooth just stood on my toe.

  “Oh my goodness.” I laugh.

  Alec opens his mouth to protest but is swiftly interrupted by a woman beside us.

  “What a cute couple you two are.” She smiles, held in the arms of a slightly older bearded man.

  I have no idea who they are, but I think Alec might judging by his gracious thanks. I stand there and blush as they walk away, and Alec laughs at my bashfulness.

  “I knew I had an effect on you, Greene.” I can hear his smug happiness in that fact.

  “Oh shut up. I blush easily.” I flick my hair over my shoulder. The pace of our dancing changes to meet the ever so slightly faster music which has just come on. He spins me again, but only halfway this time, wrapping his arms round my waist so that my back is to his chest and his head rests on my shoulder intimately, as we bob awkwardly to the music.

  “What are you doing, Alec?” I ask him suspiciously, and he blows lightly in my ear in reply.

  Being annoyingly ticklish, I let out a small squeak and squirm away from him, spinning the rest of the way so that I face him and his self-satisfied little face again.

  What a douche he is.

  “I need to go to the restroom.” I roll my eyes. “Don’t miss me too much.”

  After asking for directions twice, I finally make it to the restrooms and in here it is just as gorgeous. There’s a large window to the side showing a view onto the activity fields, and the sky is dark now. The whole counter for the sinks is made of polished marble, and instead of having faucets like a normal bathroom, they have mini waterfall things that look really cool. Maybe I should ask Mom if we can have those at home. I stare at my flushed face in the mirror before fishing my phone from my pocket to call Violet for some much needed dancing advice.

  She picks up after three rings.

  “Nashville Sperm Bank. You squeeze it, we freeze it – how may I assist you?” I can’t help but chuckle at Violet’s pickup. Our traditions are so cool.

  “Hi, Violet,” I say. “Great line.”

  “I’m pretty proud of that one if I do say so myself,” she replies cockily. “If you don’t mind me asking, what are you calling for? Aren’t you supposed to be at the party?”

  “Yeah. I’m in the restroom at the moment.”

  “So why are you not flirting your ass off with that lovely slice of man cake?”

  “Man cake?”

  “Alec Wilde of course. You need him to make a move.”

  “I just wanted some advice . . . how do you dance? And make it, y’know, look good?” I frown at myself in the mirror. “Alec and I are having some trouble, you see.” I know Violet will have at least one tip on how we can dance effectively – she was forced to go to ballroom dancing classes for six years with her mother. Okay, she was only thirteen when she stopped, but she’s got to remember something, right?

  “Dancing is simple. Stick to a box waltz, and then every now and then, you step to the left, and he steps to the right, so your arms are stretched against each other’s body, okay?” she clarifies. “That move looks good, but it’s easy too. You can add in a spin every now and then, and maybe even a dip? All Alec has to do for that is support the back of your waist whilst you lean backwards. You don’t need to do anything too difficult for it to look decent. Try that sort of stuff.”

  “Okay, that sounds manageable I guess . . .”

  “Yup, now get back on that date sharpish.”

  “I will, thank you. I’ll call you later – bye!” I shove my phone back into my clutch and head back out of the restroom, now eager to get back out there to Alec and show him some moves. I’m surprised to find, however, when I step back out on the dance floor, Alec is standing with someone else.

  An older woman, flirting with him.

  He looks more than a little uncomfortable, leaning awkwardly away and scratching the back of his neck. Alec just can’t go anywhere without being hit on, can he? Suffice to say, that dress does her no favours.

  “Hi honey,” I say, coming to step by his side.

  I’m going to pull an “Alec”: pretend that we’re a couple.

  He obviously catches my drift, because his arm wraps tentatively round my waist.

  “And who is this?” I turn to the woman with an elasticated smile, which she begrudgingly returns. I think even Alec would draw the line with cougars, thank goodness. I can’t help but feel a little bemused by this situation. The woman looks about thirty, with dark hair and smoky eyeshadow.

  “I’m Megan,” she says. “Excuse me, I’m going to go and grab a drink. Lovely to meet you.” And with that, she scurries off. I turn to Alec and wriggle my eyebrows suggestively at his antics.

  “You like the older women then, Alec?”

  “Shut up,” he grumbles. “She was terrifying. I’ll have nightmares.”

  “C’mon.” I grab his arm and lead him back onto the dance floor. “Let’s go and dance. I called Violet and she’s given us some tips.”

  Alec gives me a dubious look but takes my hand anyway as we return to the simple box step.

  “Okay, you step to the right and I’ll step to th
e left,” I instruct. “One, two and three, go.”

  I step to the left and Alec steps in the opposite direction, pulling my arm taut against his chest so that it’s uncomfortable, but not quite painful. He grins, and then pulls me into another one of his favourite spins, ending with a flourish.

  “Well done,” I say breathlessly. “Now for the dip. Put your hand on the small of my back, and I’ll lean backwards, okay?” He does as I instruct, and I begin to dip. I’ve always had issues with trust, but call it a gut feeling, I just know that Alec isn’t going to drop me.

  “Well done!” a voice calls nearby, applauding.

  Thud.

  “Ow, Alec, what was that for?” I groan, dusting off my dress as he apologetically offers me a hand up. My butt is aching from this stupid hardwood dance floor.

  “Sorry. Fiona scared me.” His voice is sincere but with an underlying sense of amusement. He helps me back up and sure enough, as I glance over, a woman stands nearby watching. She mouths an “oops” at me and cautiously approaches, tugging Marie by the hand. Fiona is everything that I expected and more. She’s tall, taller than Marie, and she walks with an air of assertiveness that I think only years in the army must have provided her with. Her skin, dark as treacle, is flawless aside from the glint of a blue stud in her right eyebrow. Her smile is wide, and her bright eyes are smouldering with curiosity. She’s by far one of the most entrancing women I’ve ever seen.

  “I think we should give the dancing a miss from now on.” Alec scratches the back of his neck, oblivious to my fascination. “We don’t seem to be doing very well.”

  “I agree,” I murmur absent-mindedly, suddenly faced with the nerves of meeting this woman. What if she doesn’t like me? I know how highly Alec thinks of her.

  “Alec,” Fiona says as she stops in front of us. For a second I think she’s upset with him, but suddenly her mouth breaks into a smile and she tugs him towards her in an understated and somewhat awkward hug. “I’ve missed you.”

  “I missed you too.” Alec chuckles, pulling away.

  “Good, because if you miss me, you haven’t forgotten me. And the chances are if you haven’t forgotten me, you shouldn’t have forgotten your manners.” Fiona raises a sassy eyebrow. “Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?” Finally she looks at me with curiosity.

  “Right.” Alec shakes his head. “Riley this is my soon-to-be stepmom Fiona. Fiona, this is my Rile – I mean, just Riley.”

  “It’s nice to meet you at last,” I say. “This is such an amazing party.”

  “It’s nice to meet you too. I’ve heard a lot about you,” Fiona replies charmingly. She gestures around with her hand. “Unfortunately, I can’t steal credit for the party. Marie is the party planner in this relationship; I just show up and eat the food.” Fiona glances back at her future spouse with a small smile, her eyes sparkling. Behind her, the extravagance and elegance of the party seems to pause for a second as people glance over. The happy couple are the nucleus of this social gathering; every movement they make is hard not to notice.

  “Don’t forget drinking all the alcohol,” Marie scoffs.

  “Of course, I do that too.” Fiona laughs sheepishly, swilling the drink she holds in her free hand. “Anyway, Riley, I hear you live next door? Are you in Alec’s year at school?”

  “Yup, I’m in his Physics class.” I glance over at Alec, surprised to see that he’s already looking at me. “I think we classify as friends, don’t we?” I tease him.

  “Easy there.” He grins. “We’re taking it slow, Greene. Acquaintances, I think.”

  “Are you kidding?” Marie drawls, not comprehending our sarcasm. “These two have been inseparable since we moved.”

  Awkward.

  “Interesting.” Fiona’s eyes sparkle. “Well I’m rooting for it.”

  “Thanks,” Alec grunts, scratching the back of his neck. I’m finding it hard to contain my laughter. “Say, haven’t you two got somewhere to be?”

  “Sure, let’s leave them be and check on the drinks.” Marie tugs at a reluctant Fiona’s arm.

  “But I want to make them even more uncomfortable!” Fiona whines playfully as Marie tugs her away. “It was so nice meeting you, Riley! Don’t hurt my boy!” They disappear into the crowd standing near the bar, leaving Alec and I in an uncomfortable and amusing silence.

  “Well . . .” I begin, “she was not what I was expecting.”

  “She surprised me too. Although she wasn’t as embarrassing as some of the relatives that came up to me while you were in the restroom.” Alec grimaces. “It was so bad, Greene. They were asking about our ‘relationship’.”

  “Oh.”

  “Yep,” he says. “And Riley?”

  “What?”

  “If my mom’s friends ever ask how we met . . . You snuck into my room one night and stole my boxers for a dare. Completely unprovoked.”

  “What?”

  “I’m joking, jeez!”

  “Don’t joke about something like that!”

  “I think it’s about time I stifle your fuse, Greene. I don’t think the world could handle the explosion of bitchiness. You might just be the end of us all.”

  “Alec?” I say in the sweetest possible voice.

  “Yes?”

  I stamp down hard on his foot, making sure the heel digs in. “You’re a grasshole.”

  15

  The Whole Story

  “Riley!” I hear Alec calling from his window for what seems like the hundredth time since he came home from school. Once again, I ignore it. You’d think he would have got the hint that I don’t want to talk to him: my drapes are firmly shut, my phone has been turned off for the last few days and my window is only ever so slightly ajar. I don’t want to see people right now. “Riley!” he persists, calling again. “I know you can hear me! Your light is on!”

  “Please just leave me alone,” I shout back, begging internally that my voice doesn’t convey my inner turmoil. I can’t do this today. I am not able. “Please, Alec. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, I promise. Any other day but this. Every other day but this one.” I walk away from the window and lie down on my bed. I haven’t really moved from there since this morning’s visit. I must look horrific.

  Evidently, Alec ignores my words again, because it isn’t long until I hear the huff of effort and the loud thud of Alec landing on my windowsill. It takes him a good while to push himself over the window, but it’s not long enough. Alec emerges from my drapes and drops onto my bedroom floor almost proudly. His face tells another story, though.

  Alec is concerned about me.

  “Alec,” I mumble weakly, and I can already feel the fight draining from my body. I’m too emotionally purged to resist his advance. Maybe this is what I need. Maybe I need to talk to him. What if he is exactly the thing that makes these last few hours of today bearable?

  “Riley,” Alec sighs, “I’ve been worried sick about you. Both you and Violet have avoided us for the past few days. Today, when you weren’t in school, I figured something had happened to you. What’s wrong?” His voice evolves into a soft murmur, which I would not be able to hear if I wasn’t listening closely.

  Where would I even begin?

  My bottom lip begins to quiver, and I feel the lump rise in my throat. Alec is seeing me at my most vulnerable, and all I want to do is to shield myself away from him. To hide, to put my walls up and never let anyone in. Yet, there’s another part of me. A part of me which yearns to spill everything out onto him. To smash the bottle of my feelings and feel the release that would come from telling someone other than Violet. Telling Alec. It’s this option that is simultaneously the most appealing and the most dangerous to me. I can’t stand being hurt again.

  Alec senses my weakness and sits down on the bed beside me. Without question, he lies down and wraps his arm underneath my shoulders, pulling me to his warm body. I don’t fight it. In fact, curling up next to him is oddly comforting. The dribbling tears stop, and suddenly I c
an’t contain myself any longer. “This is the anniversary of my cousin’s death.”

  Once the words are out, I gasp at the shock, relief and pain of it all. I shouldn’t have told him that, but at the same time, I’ve never felt more relieved. What will his reaction be? Will he run away from the emotionally damaged girl he’s holding, who’s been through enough crap and felt enough insecurity for a lifetime?

  Alec stiffens, expectedly. It takes him a couple of seconds of breathing to come out with the words. “You don’t know how sorry I am to hear that.”

  “I think I do.” I attempt a laugh, but the sound comes out hollow and sad. “She died a year ago.”

  “How?” Alec adjusts himself, pulling himself further down the bed and tugging his arm away from me, before spinning to face me. We’re both sprawled across my Star Wars sheets, staring at each other, and it’s probably the most intimate moment I’ve ever shared with anyone. I want to tell him everything, I realise. Maybe I need to, for the sake of myself. I wince at his question choice, but there’s an indescribable pull from my soul. I want to share myself with him, if he wants to listen.

  “Do you remember I told you the story about Toby and the cheating?” I ask weakly. Alec nods in reply and I continue, having already expected that. “Well I told you then that there was much more to the story. I . . . I’m going to tell you everything now.”

  I look at him and with my eyes try to communicate the warning and dread I feel inside.

  If he wants to leave, he should leave now.

  “Go on.” Alec’s voice is raspy. His eyes are beautifully entranced.

  “I had a cousin. Her name was Kaitlin.”

  I let out a breath. Had. The word seems to stand out. It bends and warps the sentence around it from something happy, something positive, to a grim reality. There’s no going back now.

  I knit my fingers together before continuing into the story, lying on my hands to stop them from shaking. “Kaitlin and I grew up as two quite different children. She lived a town over, but we would visit each other constantly. After my uncle’s wife left, our families really connected. We were both broken. We depended on each other. She was my best friend; I grew up with her. We spent weekends together, we had sleepovers and I spent all of my summers at her house or vice versa. We were inseparable. People thought we were sisters. We acted like it.”