by Joanna Wylde
My mom already had my wedding dress picked out, although I had my doubts. Farell would be heading to the University of Idaho in the fall and I’d seen way too many couples break up when that happened.
Fortunately, I’d only have to get through another a year before joining him. My family was broke, but I’d always worked hard in school. I wanted to get a business degree. The school counselor told me that between my grades and our family income, I’d have lots of scholarship opportunities.
I planned to make the most of them.
Popping up and over the top of the bank, I staggered to the side. Farell, Colby, and Bryce followed, then we all started across the darkened cemetery toward the party.
Six Mile had close to ten thousand graves, although you’d never guess it. Back during the gold rush, thousands of people flooded the valley. Callup might only have eight hundred residents now, but in those days we’d been the biggest city in north Idaho—home to a strange mix of miners, whores, gunfighters, and preachers. Even a bunch of nuns. You name it, they came here and when they died, they’d been buried on the steep hillside above Six Mile Creek. Now pine trees had taken over. From the road you couldn’t even see the place.
I loved it here.
Peaceful graves stretched along the thickly forested hillside in every direction, covered in moss and brush. Stone markers, wooden crosses, statues, and crudely built crypts . . . thousands of memorials for people long forgotten.
At night it turned into something else entirely.
“This place is creepy as fuck,” Erin whispered with thrilled glee. She clutched my arm as the boys whooped and wandered off. I couldn’t argue with that. We stumbled along the slope toward the party, which was back behind the memorial for the men who died fighting the 1910 wildfires. A terrace overlooking the grounds had been built out of smooth river stones, and was lined with benches. A rough concrete bowl sat in the center. I think once upon a time it was supposed to be a pond or something. Tonight it would be our fire pit, with the terrace itself providing the perfect place to set out the kegs.
Yeah, I know. We were horrible kids.
We were also the third generation of Callup residents to party up here, so at least we came by it honestly. Everyone in town knew where the graduation party would be, of course. Same place it’d been for the last twenty years—traditionally the cops gave a free pass on graduation night.
I stumbled on a tree root and tripped, falling into a headstone. Farell came out of nowhere to scoop me up, throwing me over his shoulder and running up the slope like I was a football. I screamed and slapped at his back.
“You’re gonna kill me!” I shouted. Farell laughed and his buddies cheered us on. Then Bryce caught Erin and it turned into a race. We reached the memorial at the same time to the sound of hooting and clapping. Farell lowered me to the ground and pulled me in for a kiss, tongue shoving deep into my mouth. He tasted like beer and the taquitos we’d eaten at his house during the reception.
I liked kissing Farell. Hell, I liked more than kissing him—we’d been sleeping together since I was sixteen and he was usually in tune with my needs. He pulled away and looked down at me, grinning like an idiot.
“Fuckin’ love you, Darce.”
Then he let me go and swaggered off, sharing high fives with the other football players before heading over to the keg. My eyes followed him, feeling that strange sense of loneliness that always came when he turned away. Farell was a bright, shining spotlight. When he focused on me it was like staring into the sun. When he left I found myself blinking, blinded and startled by the sudden loss of warmth.
I looked away, searching for Erin. Instead I saw Riley Boone watching me with those cold black eyes of his.
He leaned back against a tree just outside the circle of firelight. People swirled all around but Boonie stood apart, studying me with a scary intensity. Like always, the sight of him reminded me of that kiss we’d shared so many years ago. We’d hardly been more than kids, but they say you never forget your first.
Gave me chills every time I thought about it.
Boonie lifted his chin in silent greeting and I nodded in return. Then someone stumbled into me, breaking the spell. Good thing, too.
Riley Boone was nothing but trouble.
________
I’d hardly recognized him when he returned to Callup. I guess his stepdad ran off with a younger woman last summer, so his mom came running home to lick her wounds. Took her less than two weeks to hook up with one of the Silver Bastards, a member of the motorcycle club here in town. Boonie’s dad had been one, too, although he’d died when Boonie was just a baby.
I’d heard he was back, of course. Callup was the kind of place where everyone was up in each other’s business. Still, that didn’t prepare me to see him again in person.
He’d pulled up to the high school on a royal blue Harley Davidson, looking like the hero in a movie. You know, one of those teenage tragedies where the naive and foolish heroine falls in love with the gangster. Then she has to watch him get gunned down in the end, leaving her alone and pregnant because things can never work out with guys like that.
I hadn’t recognized him at first. I mean, Boonie had been cute as hell when he’d left, but for all his height, he’d still been a boy. Now he was all man. Six foot three, with a bulky, muscular body and dark hair. His eyes held secrets and he still walked like a conqueror, only now he was the kind of conqueror who’d cut off your head for crossing him. Farell and his friends learned that fast, too.
Until Boonie came home, Farell had been the king of the school. Now Boonie was, even if he wasn’t interested in taking on the role.
Farell hated him for that.
That was reason enough for me to avoid Boonie—Farell had an ugly temper. While I didn’t think it was reasonable for him to say I couldn’t talk to my old friend, I didn’t want to lose my boyfriend, either. I compromised by staying friendly toward Boonie, but distant. It’d been a tense year, made more tense by the fact that no matter where I went, Boonie’s eyes followed me.
I didn’t know for sure, but I think he and Farell even fought a couple of times—either that or Farell was running into an awful lot of doors. I couldn’t think of anyone else brave enough to take him on.
When they’d finally graduated I think half the town sighed in relief.
Now the party swirled around me in a blur of red Solo cups and cheap beer, punctuated by the occasional kiss or swat on the ass from my boyfriend. By two in the morning, I had a good buzz going. I also needed to pee. I hadn’t seen Farell for a while, but that didn’t mean much. I figured he was off smoking pot, which he seemed to think I didn’t know about. Not that I cared—compared to the pain pills my dad popped like candy, pot was nothing. That’s when I saw my old neighbor, Shanda Reed.
“When did you get here?” I shouted, running over to her. “I didn’t see you at graduation.”
“I couldn’t make it in time,” she said, laughing and pulling me into a hug. “Had a work thing.”
Her words broke through the haze and I felt awkward. Shanda’s “job” wasn’t what I’d want, although she drove a shiny new cherry red Mustang these days.
Not my place to judge how she earned her money.
Shaking off my dark thoughts, I looked her over. “I really like your hair like that. The blonde is perfect on you.”
“Thanks,” she said. I wondered if she was here for Boonie, not that it was any of my business. “Damn, I need to pee. Wanna go with?”
As soon as she said it I remembered my bladder was about ready to explode. “Yeah.”
“Great. You can tell me all the gossip.”
I followed her back into the trees, stumbling over roots as the firelight and music faded. The night air was warm without being hot, and the sound of crickets surrounded us.
“Here, this spot looks good,” she said, pointing to a clump of bushes. It was completely shielded from the party. Five minutes later we’d finished our business and hea
ded back down the hill. About halfway back I heard a girl laughing, along with the rhythmic grunting that could only mean one thing. I bit back my own giggle, shooting a glance at Shanda. She smirked, catching my arm.
“Hold on,” she whispered. “I want to see who it is.’’
“What?” I asked, scandalized. “No. No, we can’t!”
Her wicked grin flashed. “Sure we can. They’re in the open—fair game.”
I shook my head, but I followed her as she crept through the darkness. Then I stepped on a branch, making a loud snapping noise. The laughter stopped.
“What was that?’’ a girl asked. I recognized the voice—Allie Stockwell. Well, wasn’t that nice . . . Allie made a huge production last year about wearing her purity ring, announcing she would never sleep with a boy before she was married. Not only that, she’d done it while staring me down in the locker room pointedly. I hated the bitch.
“It’s fine, baby,’’ her partner said, the words heavily slurred.
I froze.
“Farell?” I asked, my voice unsteady. No. I’d heard wrong. Farell would never cheat on me—Farell loved me. I heard Allie gasp as I swayed, dizzy. This wasn’t real. It couldn’t be real.
“Who the fuck is in there?” Shanda demanded, her voice ringing out in accusation. She started forward, pushing through the weeds and I followed, praying I’d been wrong. We’d find Colby back there with Allie, or some other guy. Obviously I hadn’t heard right. Too much booze.
I stepped into a clearing to find them, half naked in the moonlight. My drunken boyfriend had rolled to his back, dick flopping as he tried to pull up his pants. Allie gaped at us like a fucking goldfish.
“Farell . . . ” I whispered, my world shattering around me. “Oh, shit. Why? Why did you do this?”
He tried to say something, then Shanda had my arm and was dragging me away.
This was what it felt like to be punched in the gut.
I literally lost my breath. I couldn’t take in air, couldn’t focus, couldn’t do anything but try not to fall on my face as Shanda hauled me away from my future ex-boyfriend.
“Fuck off, asshole!” she shouted over her shoulder. “You eat shit and die.”
Finally my head stopped spinning and I realized I was crying. Sobbing. We were nearly back to the party and I dug in my heels, pulling back against Shanda’s grip.
“I can’t go back there,’’ I hissed. “I can’t let them see me like this. Oh my God, how did this happen? Why would he do this?”
Shanda caught my shoulders, giving me a shake.
“I’ve got no idea why the hell he’d cheat on you,” she said. “I don’t care, either. Here’s what I do know—if he’s been fucking her, then all of his friends know about it and so do all of hers. That means everyone at the party but you and your best girls are in on this bullshit. You’ve got two choices here. You can run off and hide like you’ve done something wrong, or you can walk back down there, grab a drink, and then wait for him. When he comes back, you’ll throw that drink in his face and dump his pathetic ass. Then we’re going to dance and have fun and maybe get you laid by a real man, because he does not get to win.”
I stared at her, blinking.
“I don’t think I can do that,” I whispered. Shanda’s eyes narrowed.
“Listen to me—the world’s tough for girls like us, Darce. Girls from the trailer park. They think that because we’re poor, we’re trash, and that’s how they treat us. But we’re not trash. I don’t care how much money Farell has. He’s the trashy one here, not you. Sometimes you just gotta cowgirl up.”
She was right. I hadn’t done anything wrong, so why the hell should I run away? Lifting the edge of my halter top, I wiped off my face, trying not to sniffle.
“How do I look?”
“You’ll do in the dark,’’ she said, winking at me. “Hold your head high and remember, I’ve got your back. Six Mile trailer park forever, baby.”
________
Boonie was the first person I saw back at the party.
He leaned against a pickup truck full of massive speakers that the senior boys had hooked to car batteries. Something had gone wrong with the system early on, and it’d stopped working. Fortunately, the truck’s own stereo wasn’t too bad when they cranked it all the way.
Now the fire burned high and girls were all dancing. I saw Erin wander up to Boonie and lean into him. He gave her a hug then pushed her away firmly when her hands started to wander.
Shanda marched us straight over to them.
“What happened to you?’’ Erin asked, so drunk I could hardly understand her words.
“I caught Farell fucking Allie Stockwell,” I said bitterly, wishing I could kill the hateful bitch. “Now I’m going to dump his ass.”
“Holy shit.”
Boonie didn’t say anything, but his eyes flared with sudden intensity. Shanda looked between us, a strange smile playing at her lips. I think she was about to say something.
Then Farell stumbled out of the dark and back into the party.
“Darcy!” he shouted, lurching toward us. People turned to stare. “Darcy! Darcy, it was a mistake. Let me explain.”
“Showtime,’’ Shanda said, pushing me forward. I felt an almost palpable wave of excitement from the crowd. Great. Nothing like a little drama to make a party memorable.
“We’re done, Farell,’’ I announced before I lost my nerve. I was supposed to love him . . . but he was supposed to love me, too. Asshole. “Go back to Allie.”
He swayed, confused shock all over his face.
“But Darcy . . . I didn’t mean it.”
“You heard her,’’ Boonie said, stepping forward. Erin straightened and lurched into Shanda, clearly trying to show her support no matter how drunk she was. “You’re done. Go away.”
“Shut up, you fucking loser,” Farell said, swaying. “She’s my girl. You want her but you can’t have her.”
“No, I was your girl,” I said, the words cutting through me like knives. In the firelight he looked like a homeless guy, his clothes covered in dirt and pine needles. “It’s over. You made your choice.”
Farell looked confused, eyes blinking. Slowly he started to sneer.
“I see how it is,” he said. “You’re fucking him, aren’t you? I guess trash calls to trash.”
Boonie growled and stepped forward, reaching for him. Farell took a drunken swing and then they were all over each other. Shanda pulled me and Erin back as the students started shouting and screaming, “Fight! Fight! Fight!”
Farell was drunk off his ass, which should’ve made him an easy target. And he was—for every hit he landed, Boonie got him twice. The alcohol seemed to be dulling his senses, though. I wasn’t sure he even felt the pain.
He couldn’t possibly last long.
Boonie was faster and more savage than I’d ever seen him. He threw a sudden flurry of punches, his face cold with fury. Then Farell went down hard and it was over. A hush fell over the crowd as Boonie turned and stalked over to me, chest still heaving. I’d never seen his eyes so wild.
“C’mon,’’ he said. I looked around, wondering what to do. He didn’t wait for me to answer, catching my hand and all but dragging me down the hillside. That’s when I heard Farell shouting after us.
“Fuck you, whore! Go fuck your trashy boyfriend. He’s nothing, just like you’re nothing!”
Boonie stopped short, every muscle in his body rigid. Then he turned slowly to face Farell one last time.
“If you ever talk to her like that again, I’ll kill you.”
Nobody there could doubt him—Boonie meant every word. My former boyfriend blinked, and I saw raw terror. Then Boonie pulled on my hand again and we were off.
________
I stumbled along in shock for a while, finally realizing I had no idea where we were going, or even why I was with him, but I did know this—something monumental had just happened.
“Why did you fight with Farell?” I asked. Boon
ie turned, backing me into a small crypt surrounded by brush. The plaster-covered bricks hit my butt and I stared up at him, wide-eyed.
“Because he’s an asshole,” Boonie said. “Why the fuck did you let him stick his dick in you, Darcy?”
I gasped, shaking my head.
“I can’t talk to you about this.”
Boonie pushed forward into my space, reaching down to catch my waist as he lifted me to sit on the monument. Then he was standing between my bare legs, staring down into my face. A muscle in his jaw flexed. I felt one of his hands reach down and around my waist, spreading across the flat of my back. His other hand rose to cup the back of my head, fingers burrowing into my hair.
“Been thinkin’ about this all year,” he whispered. “I come home and my fuckin’ girl is with the biggest prick in the valley. Took you too long to figure it out, babe. Such a goddamn waste.”
His fuckin’ girl?
I hardly had time to process his words before he jerked me into his body, wrenching my head back for his kiss. I gasped and he took the opportunity to shove his tongue into my mouth.
I thought I’d been kissed before.
I was wrong. This was nothing like what I’d experienced with Farell—nothing like the first kiss Boonie had given me, either. This was a man’s kiss, his mouth taking everything from me without mercy. I felt his cock harden between my legs and God help me, but I wanted him. Then his hips started moving in a slow, steady swivel that pressed my clit into my pelvic bone. Lightning sheets of need shot down the length of my spine.
Boonie tore his mouth away, resting his forehead against my own. His body shuddered and mine answered like we’d been made for each other.
I’d never wanted Farell this bad.
Not even close.
“Tell me no right now,” he said, the words a low growl. “Otherwise we’re doing this.”
Reaching down, I slipped my hands under his shirt on either side of his body, sliding them along the sculpted curves of his muscles.