She wrapped an arm around Kendra, hauled her up and ran her behind the bleachers, forcing her to get in front of a large trashcan.
The minute they were there, Kendra spewed everywhere, including outside the receptacle.
On instinct, Mari held Kendra’s hair out of the way and rubbed her back.
It wasn’t until Kendra had complained in between bouts how much she hated vomiting that Mari realized the significance of this.
Somebody was throwing up, and it didn’t trigger Mari. Not. At. All.
Her whole face lit up, and her chest filled with warmth. This was huge . . . Was she really getting better?
She hadn’t smoked in weeks, and now this? Wow. Nothing to throw a parade over. Not really, but still . . . A big accomplishment for her.
A lightheaded sensation overcame Mari in a heartbeat, and then she realized why.
She turned, and Adam was right behind her, his hands on her.
“You okay?” he whispered.
Mari motioned to a bent-over Kendra.
Adam’s head jerked back in shock.
Mari only smiled at him. “She’s throwing up, and I’m fine.”
“Yes, you are.” He nodded and was smiling bigger than she was.
“Oh my God!” Mari blurted. “What are you doing back here? You’re supposed to be out there playing the game!”
“It’s fine. Coach said he’d keep me benched for this round so I could find out where you went. He knew I wouldn’t be able to play well and concentrate if I didn’t take care of you first.” He patted her back.
“Kendra, you want me to take you home?” Mari asked.
“No! Just leave me alone. This is your fault anyway,” Kendra garbled through the mess oozing out of her mouth.
Adam grabbed Mari away like Kendra’s words were a loaded weapon aimed at his girl.
“Find a way to get better. Hugs usually help,” Adam told Kendra and took Mari by the waist. He almost carried her out of there, his legs walking faster than hers could go.
He sat her on the players’ bench with him.
The coach gave them a strange look but kept quiet.
Adam held her hand until his name was called.
“I’m gonna go play now. You watch me, okay?”
“I will—I love you!” she said.
He hugged her real quick, said he loved her too, and jogged out to his waiting spot so he could rotate in.
His arms flexed and his body took off in a flash once it was time to run out onto the floor.
“Adam, right here, buddy!” Zach called after him when Adam got a hold of the ball.
Adam flashed her a mischievous grin over his shoulder, then passed it to his brother without any problems at all.
Her whole face trembled with emotion as she watched him decide to protect his brother, rather than guard the man on the opposing team he was supposed to.
So sweet.
“Go, Adam!” she called with her hands cupped around her mouth.
The basketball was released, and . . . swwwwaaaaaack!
Someone tried to block it from going in, but Adam blocked their arms with his much longer reach.
The ball fell straight through the hoop, thanks to him.
The crowd cheered, and Adam loped away from the basket, finding a spot a little further back, but still near his brother.
The game resumed, and Adam was running faster than anyone else, it seemed. He zipped back and forth on the court, never tiring.
At one point, she could see he was about to have a nasty collision as he attempted to protect another teammate.
She knew he’d plow with all his body weight and hurt them both badly.
Her knuckles went white and cracked as she gripped the edge of the metal bench she sat on. She leaned forward and cried, “Don’t hurt him, Adam!”
In a last-minute move, he pick and rolled deftly, slowing enough right at the last minute to pad the impact, making it slight and nothing worth blowing a whistle over.
Her mouth dropped open at the way he gracefully controlled his bodyweight, controlled the angle and avoided crashing into the dude that was in his way.
“That’s what I’m talkin’ about!” Zach yelled when Adam made a basket.
“Yesss! Yes, yes, I love that man!” Mari whooped and stood up, bouncing around as she clapped and pounded her fists in the air.
As Adam gave a few high fives to a few of his team players, she threw herself to the edge of the players’ bench, reached out and grabbed for him.
She managed to get a hold of his sleeve. “I love you, baby! That was incredible—you’re incredible!” She pressed her lips to his real quick, and he obliged, giving in to the kiss.
They gave a loud, swack! Then he ran back out to join his team. His head wobbled back and forth in a goofy, dramatic way. The guy had a bit of swagger, making her laugh.
When the quarter ended and their coach was done giving them directions, Adam loped over to her.
He picked her up and swung her a little in a tight hug the second he had his hands on her.
“I’m good, huh?”
“The best!” She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him so hard, he stepped back and the bleachers to their side made a clanging noise as they found themselves pushed up against them.
“Hey, heyyyyy,” one of his nearby teammates warned, pretending to glare at them when he was really teasing them.
She giggled through the kiss, then broke away and grinned. “Worth it,” she said as the team shooed her away and called him back over.
Looked like she’d stayed past her welcome.
He pouted as she ran back to the bleachers with everybody else.
She could see most of it better from this vantage point anyway. It was easy to see the ball better when he’d throw it like it had a jet attached. Then he’d run off like a canon shot him out there. Her eyes took in more of his crazy long legs, running like the devil was behind him, trying to get a piece of him.
Well, the devil was screwed—because she already had a piece of him, and she wasn’t giving it back—any of it.
He was hers!
* * *
“Mari, you get prettier each time I see you,” Adam said as soon as he saw her in the parking lot after school on Friday. Her cheeks warmed, she blinked and her head dropped down. She stared at her hands clasped together. “It makes it hard to memorize what you look like.”
“You shouldn’t say stuff like that,” she said, so quiet he had to lean toward her to hear what she was saying.
“Why? Does it hurt your feelings?”
“No,” she choked out. “But I’m still not used to it. I get kind of embarrassed.”
“Well, you do get prettier every day. So, I’m gonna say it.”
Her entire face heated now. “You’re the only one that thinks that, just so you know.”
“That’s not true. We both had to hurt Rory at Katie’s Halloween party because he thinks it too much.” He took her hand, and they walked over to his car.
“Let’s go eat,” she said, not wanting to talk about this anymore. Lately, he’d been telling her more and more how pretty he thought she was.
It never got easier to hear.
It was the beginning of the weekend. They still tried to go out to eat before he had to go to his basketball games at least once a month at the Mediterranean restaurant she had taken him to on their first unofficial date.
When they stepped inside, she rolled her eyes. How had Kendra and Tara figured out this was where Adam and Mari went on these dates?
Mari gave the cursory nod, went alongside Adam to get their food, then took their seats.
As they began eating, the door opened and in walked Zach and Samara.
“Oh, this is the best day ever,” Mari intoned and blinked slowly.
His team had been winning all their games lately, so he’d be in a great mood, but she was feeling kind of greedy in this moment. It seemed like everyone wanted a piece of him these days
. With the exception of bedtime, it seemed rare to have him to herself and simply be able to talk—other than when they were in bed. But lately, he was so exhausted, he dropped off to sleep before they could have any kind of decent conversation.
She always looked forward to their dinner dates. It was one of the very few times she had his undivided attention and he was all hers.
Adam leaned back and looked over his shoulder. He smiled and waved at them.
“I thought you wanted both of them to keep their distance from me?” she teased.
“I said that a long time ago. You live with us now, so it doesn’t mean anything anymore. Besides, I didn’t invite them to join us. But it’s okay, because I’m so happy right now, knowing my team’s gonna win again tonight. So that means I don’t care what they do. They can watch.” He shoved a piece of pita bread into his mouth and grinned while he chewed.
“If only I had your unbreakable spirit,” she mused. Always so damn happy.
He smiled wider and shoved more food in his mouth.
Mari went and got their drinks, hoping when Samara and Zach sat down, things would settle with her. This all seemed really off. What were the odds that Kendra, Tara, Zach and Samara all showed up around the same time to the informal restaurant Adam and Mari frequented monthly?
When she returned, his siblings were sitting at their booth. Zach was next to Adam, and it looked like Mari would be next to Samara.
Nice little family reunion.
Kendra and Tara moved seats and were now at the booth directly across from them.
“Hi, Adam,” Kendra said.
“Hello.” He kept his eyes on his food and took a smaller bite than Mari had ever seen from him before.
“So, you and Mari, huh?” Tara said. “What’s it been, two months now? I keep thinking you’ll get sick of her and break it off.”
“Me and Mari what?” Adam asked. “And break what?”
“It’s been four months, Tara. And it’s not like people don’t know,” Kendra said, rolling her eyes. She then used one hand to create a hole and pushed her other index finger in and out to simulate sex. “I just wanna hear it from you, Adam, to make sure it’s not Mari spreading nasty rumors about you.” She sped up the obscene gestures she was making and added in some tongue actions.
“Shut up,” Zach said through his gritted teeth.
“We don’t have sex,” Adam said. “We only sleep together.”
“It’s not the first time she’s led someone along like this. She likes to pretend she’s a self-righteous prude, but that’s not who she really is,” Tara said, ignoring Zach’s warning.
Samara’s eyes went wide. She gripped her cup, and it sloshed a little because she was shaking.
“You want to know who she really is? Ask Rory.” Kendra smirked. “He knows everything there is to know about this sleazy ho. Including how many fingers it takes to actually make that stretched-out, overused hole of hers feel tight on him so he can give her some friction. Not that she deserves to get off with anybody—least of all you.”
“Whadaya mean? I already know who she is,” Adam croaked. His mouth hung open, and he looked devastated.
“Things most girls would never consider doing, Mari has no problem with, ‘cause she has no soul. Of course we’d heard she was a huge drug addict the summer before she hit high school. She denied it, of course. Then she started partying like crazy—getting high more than anybody else I’ve ever known. Sleeping around with any guy who’d give her something that made her buzz. She didn’t care about anything, and it was all because she killed her father.”
Tara and Kendra slurped their drinks obnoxiously.
“And only a real fruit of the loon would be with her. You’ve gotta have some seriously messed up balls to get with her,” Kendra said. “Might want to get STD tested weekly. Never can be too safe around her.” She snorted, jerking her thumb toward Mari.
“She’s been with animals, too,” Tara added. “She has no boundaries and no common decency. Basically, anything she can shove up her cunt, she will.”
Samara lowered her head and sat silent in the booth. Zach was turning a shade of green like he was going to be sick.
“Shut up!” Mari pushed off the table to standing abruptly. “You bitches spew nothing but hate and lies, and this guy right here”—she pointed at Adam as she spat her words at them—“he’s actually decent. He’s pure and wonderful, but you can’t even see that!”
She stepped forward and slapped Tara so hard she could hear the stupid girl’s neck pop and almost hear the idiot marbles in her head knock together.
Kendra moved out of the booth, and in one swift move was past Mari and kissing Adam.
He screeched as she had her lips locked on his. Numbers flew out of his mouth, and he tucked his head down, wrapping his arms around his head. Kendra hugged him.
Mari pulled the vile woman off him, kicked her out of the way and blocked both Tara and Kendra from getting to him.
Adam was bawling now. Zach managed to get Adam out of the booth. They found a waiting bench at the front of the restaurant by the front door. Samara joined her family. They huddled there with him in a protective way, whispering soothing things in his ear, quieting him down.
Mari’s chest heaved as blood crashed in her ears. Sweat poured down her back. “Yes, you would believe all the lies you’ve heard about me. Good for you—you’ve added gossiping to your repertoire so you can make bitch of the year status. Maybe they’ll give you matching sashes and tiaras that gleam with moron-stones, sculpted in your fake images.”
“We know it’s true,” Kendra said loud enough for Adam to hear. “You love shoving your fingers up every anus you come in contact with and taking monstrous dildos up your own.”
Well, Mari could be louder. She hollered, “I’ve never been with animals, and why don’t you call my dad yourself and you can hear all about how untimely his death was?” She didn’t bother to deny having her fingers inside of men, because that part was true. And dildos up her ass? Yeah. She did that, too. Who cared? Why did it matter?
“You did it on a dare! Rory told us—you were with his dog,” Tara said, then barked a laugh.
Mari hauled off and slapped her again. “Shut up, you fucking hag! I’ve had enough!”
“It’s not our fault!” Kendra’s shrill voice rang out.
She looked over her shoulder, and Adam shook as his hand was reaching out for Mari.
Her heart clenched at his tear-streaked, blotchy cheeks.
“You are going to leave him alone. He doesn’t want either one of you.” Mari could hear a manager panicking in the back, trying to figure out how to contain this fight.
Mari left those two plastic bitches in their seats and headed straight for Adam.
“Come with me,” she told Adam, clasping his hand. She flipped her head to the side to motion for Zach and Samara to either go deal with those two girls or to leave altogether.
“Where are we going?” he asked, tears in his eyes.
“To the bathroom.” She yanked him up, dragging him along with nothing but a steady pace.
She had to share the rest with him. No more letting other people scare him about who she used to be or abuse him because of her.
Mari opened the single bathroom for the ladies’ room, pulled him inside and locked the door.
Her lips crashed down on his. She backed him up against the wall and was as aggressive as possible.
She groped his ass until he whined with high-pitched breaths.
He was panting so fast she worried he’d pass out. She had to be quick and get this over with.
She pulled back only enough so that her mouth was at the corner of his, and he’d hear her clearly.
“You don’t really know me.” She gripped him hard between the legs. He yelped and jumped. “You have no idea what kind of demon I am.” Dread made her stomach turn to a block of ice, but this was for him. She had to protect him from herself. “A lot of what those slutty, tr
ashy girls said was true.”
“You’re good—always good to me. I know all about you.” His eyes were so soft, it made her fingers go a little lax.
“Then you find out right now how awful I am, and you’ll learn the rest of what you didn’t know. You’ll tell me to stop, you’ll say it hurts, but I won’t stop. And why wouldn’t I do that?” she said through her grinding teeth and tamped down that sickening feeling in her core.
“I . . . God, I don’t know,” he said, his head lolling back and forth. Every few seconds he’d look down at her hand stroking him and squeezing as hard as she could. He’d suck in some air and look at her with so much desire and longing.
“Because I’m not good. You’re gonna come so hard, and you’ll have a hard time walking when I’m done with you. But you know . . . Nobody’s gonna think you hurt yourself. They’re gonna know I had you back here, that I did raunchy things to you, because I’m gonna gloat at those nasty bitches out there.” She wished she didn’t have to do this.
“But they . . . But you . . .” He licked his lips and looked down again. “Oh, God, it’s so hard and sore! It’s never been this big and heavy.”
“I know. I know I made it this way, and it’s gonna get a lot worse.” She loosened her grip on him and instead of almost shredding her way through his jeans, she unfastened his fly, put her hand inside and tickled with insanely light touches.
“Nnnnghuhh!” he grunted, and grabbed her hand, pushing himself hard up against her. He thrust and whimpered and thrashed.
“You want this because you don’t realize I’m deteriorating your soul.” She clenched her jaw and spoke through her teeth once more. “They’re right. I’ve been bad for you. But now I want you to know all of me so you’ll be afraid of me like you should’ve been from the start. I’m gonna show you what I’ve done with all those other guys. Then you’ll know how disgusting and diseased I am.” She wished he could understand that his jealousy never made sense to her. The way she treated those guys, like they were nothing but meat? She never wanted to do that to Adam, because he was special. He was way more, and this right here, right now? It was shredding the fabric of her soul he’d been weaving back in place for her.
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