Sledge trudged towards the front door, his hair dripping water down his back. The bell went off again. “Will ya hold on?” you impatient cunt. He opened the door a fraction, surprised to find Stella standing on his doorstep, looking like she wanted to puke, which probably explained why she was at the hospital the other day. But why was she here? He’d told her after their drunken one-night-stand that he wasn’t interested in a relationship... Actually, no, that happened after Corey had found out. At the time he’d been really pissed off with Corey for standing in his way, because Stella was a great lay, the morning-after fuck definitely memorable, but now he didn’t mind, if anything he was grateful, because he’d pick Corey over Stella any day.
“Yes, what do ya want?” he said a bit too gruffly.
“To talk to you,” Stella replied, looking like she’d lost weight, which she couldn’t afford to, her pale legs and arms practically sticks, ready to snap if the wind blew too hard. She was dressed in a short denim skirt and a leopard print tank top, the outfit making her look like she’d stepped out of Outrageous Fortune—the West Auckland white trash drama.
“Why do ya wanna talk to me for?” Sledge asked, opening the door wider.
Her gaze moved to his bare chest, which was at eye level for her, the girl even shorter than Corey. Sledge smiled. He was starting to relate everything to Corey now, and he didn’t mind it at all, the little cutie constantly on his mind.
Stella smiled back, probably thinking his expression was for her. “Can I come inside first?” she asked, her hands fidgeting like she was knitting air.
Nodding, Sledge stepped aside, thinking if she didn’t sit down soon she was going to keel over.
Stella headed straight for the couch and planted her skinny arse on it, although he was sure she’d prefer to have her face in the loo, throwing up.
“I don’t meana be rude, but you really look like shit,” he said.
“Thanks, Sledge, you really are a charmer.”
Sledge shrugged. “You know what I mean; you look like you wanna chunder.”
“That’s cos I’m pregnant.”
“Congrats I guess, or commiserations, whichever fits the bill.”
“It’s your baby.”
Sledge’s face dropped. No, it didn’t just drop, it plummeted right through the floor and went straight to Hell. “No, fuckin’ way,” he said, barely forming the words.
“Yes, fucking way, that’s the point, you fucked me, now I’m preggers.”
Sledge breathed in, trying to grab as much oxygen as he could before he keeled over. She couldn’t be pregnant... Shit! Corey was going to kill him. He raised his hands to his head. “This can’t be happening; this can’t be happening...”
“You’re not the one puking your guts out,” Stella snapped. “So, stop feeling sorry for yourself.”
“But it can’t be mine.”
“Well, it is.”
“No, it has to be someone else’s; I can’t have been the only one.”
She bit her lip, looking like she was about to cry. “You are.”
“But what about your ex?”
She burst into tears. “Z-Zane’s de-dead.”
Sledge winced, realising he’d put his gigantic foot into his gigantic mouth. Ash had told him Tama was alive, and last night on the news he’d heard that it was Zane who had died in the riot, the mix up with his age having caused the confusion. “Um, sorry,” although he wasn’t, because Zane had shot his mate Mikey, almost killing him. “You sure it’s still not his?”
“I-I-I’m eight weeks pregnant, so it can’t be,” she snivelled.
Dammit! Zane had been arrested and thrown into prison about three months ago.
Her sobbing grew louder.
Sledge glanced at the passage doorway, then went to sit next to Stella, hoping Naf didn’t come out. “Don’t cry,” he said, patting her lap, and feeling like a doofus for doing it.
She grabbed him around the neck and buried her face into it, her crying intensifying. Sledge held his hands out, not knowing what to do. He wanted to pry her off him, but didn’t want to upset her more.
“Um...” He patted her back. “Sorry. Um, shit, um, do ya want sumpthin’ to drink or a tissue?”
She shook her head, still holding him tight, the fact he was half-naked making him feel even more uncomfortable.
“Do ya want me to call someone for you?”
“No, I just need you.”
“Why? I hardly know you.”
She pulled back a little, though she still kept a death grip on him, like she was scared he was going to take off—which he was seriously considering.
“I like you.”
“Yeah, so? I like Keira Knightley, but I don’t do nuthin’ ’bout it.”
“You didn’t get her pregnant.”
“Wish I did, then I wouldn’t be poor,” he said, hoping to lighten the mood before it hit pitch black.
She didn’t even smile, just stared at him with her pale blue eyes, which looked so big in her tear streaked pixie-face, her short blonde hair framing it all perfectly. Even sick she was so fucking cute, which was probably why his bastard of a cock was already betraying him as it saluted her beneath his towel. He cursed it in his head, telling the prick it was the cause of all his bloody trouble.
She looked down at it, then back at him, her expression almost relieved. “I thought that since I’m pregnant with your baby we could see each other, and maybe, possibly, I could live with you.”
So, this was what this was about: She wanted him to support her. He grabbed her arms and pulled them off him. “No, I’m unemployed, so I can’t raise a baby, and I’ve got a ...” boyfriend, “girlfriend, so you can’t live with me.”
“I’m not asking for you to pay anything, I can support myself. All I need is a place to stay, cos my parents have kicked me out. And you should take a part in your baby’s life, and you said you liked me, so why can’t you drop whatever skank you’re with to be with me? We were great together.”
“It wuz a one-night-stand, and having great sex doesn’t mean we should be together.”
“But, I’ve never had a guy act like you did, which means you must really be into me.”
“I didn’t act any differently than I do with any other chick I’ve rooted.”
“It wasn’t just a root! Don’t make it sound so vulgar.”
“I wuzn’t making love, if that’s what you’re gettin’ at.”
“But, it felt like it.”
“Well, it couldn’t have been cos I didn’t stick around, and I love my ... girlfriend.”
“You can’t have been with her that long, unless you cheated with me.”
“I’ve only just starting dating hi... her. And we were friends a long time before we got together.”
“But, you got me pregnant.”
Sledge held up his hands. “Hold up, you lemme fuck you, so don’t put this all on me.”
“Please, Sledge, I don’t wanna raise the baby on my own.” She placed a hand on his chest, her big eyes begging. Her fingers ran down his stomach and landed on his now, not so interested cock, the beggar also thinking this wasn’t a good idea.
He pushed her hand away. “I’ve already told you I’m with someone, so quit it.”
She grabbed the top of the towel, the look in her eyes no longer innocent. “C’mon, Sledgey, I bet I’m better than this other chick.”
He grabbed her wrist with one hand and the towel with the other. “Let go of the fuckin’ towel.” Before he could react, she seized his head and kissed him, trying to stick her tongue into his mouth. He let go of the towel and grabbed her other hand, pulling her off him.
“What the fuck are you doin’?” Naf hollered.
Sledge looked over his shoulder at his very pissed—in more ways than one—mate. “I didn’t kiss her, she kissed me,” Sledge said, jumping up, and in the process losing his towel to Stella’s grip. “Fuck!” He turned around and grabbed it off her, accidentally waving his cock i
n her face. He pulled the towel around his waist and ran after Naf, who was already on his way back to his bedroom.
“Naf, you’ve gotta believe me.”
Naf spun around, his face and neck red with anger, and his breath reeking with alcohol. “You’re a fuckin’ bastard, Sledge.”
“I already told you I didn’t return the damn kiss! She launched herself at me.”
“You were naked!”
“She grabbed the towel offa me! And if you’d answered the fuckin’ door while I wuz in the shower this wouldn’t have happened.”
“I heard no doorbell! You’re lying.”
“That’s cos you lock yourself up in that stink-hole and ignore everything and everyone,” until now! “I. Didn’t. Cheat. On. Corey. I love him!”
“You’re gay?” Stella gasped behind him.
Sledge spun around. “Shit!” He raised his hands to his head, then quickly grabbed the towel as it slipped. “Why won’t you leave me alone?”
“Cos you got me pregnant.”
“You did what?!” Naf yelled behind him.
Sledge turned back. “It wuz a coupla months ago, and Corey already knows what happened.”
“I doubt he knows she’s pregnant. You should’ve told him.”
“I only just found out, and it might not even be mine.”
“It is yours!” Stella yelled. “And you can’t be gay, you were great in bed.”
“Just shut up!” Sledge took off to his room, slamming the door behind him. He needed to get to Corey, because there was no way in hell this was going to ruin things between them. He threw his towel on the floor and opened a drawer to pull out his underwear. As he grabbed them Stella barged into his room, followed by Naf.
“Get out!” Sledge hollered. “I’m naked.”
“You sure are,” she said smiling, which resulted in both him and Naf yelling at her.
Sledge pulled on his underwear, then grabbed his jeans from the closet, jumping into them as quickly as he could. As Stella and Naf argued, he threw on a shirt, hoodie and his leather jacket, stuffed his wallet into a pocket, then snatched up his keys and pushed past the two short-arses.
At the front door, he stuffed his feet into his boots and snatched up his helmet, while the other two followed, telling him to stop. Like hell, he was out of here.
He pulled on his helmet, then opened the front door, hot-tailing it to his bike. He jumped on it and took off, praying that Corey wasn’t going to rip him a new hole.
***
Corey was sitting up in bed with his broken leg down when Sledge got to the hospital, the look on his mate’s boyfriend’s face not happy. Sledge prayed that Naf hadn’t rung through.
The frown left Corey’s face as soon as he saw Sledge. “God, I missed you.”
Sledge grabbed the curtains and pulled them across.
The smile left Corey’s face. “Is everything alright? Your bro—”
“Ash is doin’ okay.”
“Then what’s wrong?”
“Sumpthin’ happened, and I had no idea, I really didn’t, and it wuz before you and I decided to become you-know-what’s, so you can’t be angry with me, plus I wuz drunk—”
“Slow down, man. What did you do?”
Sledge pulled a face. “Stella’s pregnant.”
“WHAT?!”
Sledge held up his hands. “It wuz from that one-night-stand, so you can’t be angry with me, and I didn’t go near her, she came to me. I didn’t cheat, I didn’t—”
Like Naf, Corey’s face and neck turned red. “You can’t believe that bitch; she’s lying to get you.”
“She’s definitely pregnant, she looks awful.”
“I don’t mean ’bout her being pregnant, I mean ’bout the baby being yours.”
“She’s eight weeks, so it could be mine.”
“I don’t care, cos you’re mine, NOT hers.”
“I didn’t say I wuz hers,” Sledge said, feeling relieved Corey was still claiming him.
“When did she tell you? Where were you?”
“Calm down, I wuz at home.” Sledge went on to tell Corey about everything that had happened.
“She kissed you?!” Corey shouted.
“I didn’t return it, and she grabbed my towel, and it wuz Naf’s fault for not answering the door.”
Corey gritted his teeth, looking like he was going to pop a few blood vessels. The swelling had gone down on his face, although the bruising had yellowed, with more probably under the beanie. “You’re not allowed to see her,” Corey said.
“Hey, wait a mo, I’m not seeing her, she came to me.”
“Then tell her to fuck off, cos she’s just tryna get you back.”
“She never had me in the first place; I stayed away from her like you asked.”
“You should never have slept with her.”
“I wuz drunk.”
“Not the following morning.”
“I woke up with her riding me, what the fuck wuz I s’posed to do?”
“Push her off.”
“But it felt good.”
“I don’t wanna hear that!”
“C’mon, don’t be mad at me, we’ve already been over this a shitload of times.”
“But she’s disgusting.”
“No, she’s not, she’s cute,” Sledge said, realising his mistake too late.
“You think she’s cute?”
“Yeah, but you’re way cuter—like a million times more,” Sledge babbled, trying to remove his foot from his throat. “You two aren’t even in the same ballpark—”
“But you’d still do her if she dropped her cum stained g-string.”
“I wouldn’t cheat on you, so there’s no needa be jealous.”
“Don’t gimme that, you got pissed off when Tyler fucked me.”
“Don’t bring him into this,” Sledge snapped, not wanting to think about the prick touching Corey.
Corey crossed his arms over his chest. “And you said I wuzn’t allowed to see him too, so you’re just as jealous as I am.”
“Cos I love you, babe.”
Corey’s angry expression softened, although he still looked unsure. “I love you too, which is why you can’t go near Stella.”
“Then promise you won’t see Tyler again.”
“But he’s my friend, and Stella’s just a skank.”
“No, you can’t lay demands then do what you like, and if the baby’s mine, I will wanna see it.”
“It might not be yours.”
“But if it is, I hafta take part in its life.” He held up a hand. “Just lemme finish before you blow your nuts off. I will not go near Stella unless it’s to do with my child... Shit, did I just say that: my child?”
“You don’t even like kids.”
“Yeah, but I can’t ignore it if it’s mine. I know what it’s like to be ignored by my father, and it feels like shit,” Sledge said, wishing he had a closer relationship with his dad, because he really wanted to talk to someone about the news. His father was still in Dargaville with Ash and Dante. He didn’t begrudge his old man being up there, just wished the bastard would acknowledge him more. He frowned. Maybe, since him and Ash weren’t at loggerheads anymore, he could ask his bro advice about kids instead. Yeah, and Ash had said he wanted to talk to him when he returned to Auckland, so that could be a good time.
“You can see the kid, but not Stella,” Corey said.
“She’ll be with the kid, so I won’t be able to avoid her.”
“If she touches you, you tell me, and I’ll deal with her.”
“Even that skinny chick could take you on and win,” Sledge said, laughing.
“She could not!”
Sledge stopped laughing, and grinned. “I’ve never had two chicks fight over me before.”
Corey punched his arm. “I’m not a chick.”
“You punch like one.”
“You’re a cunt.”
“No, you said you wanted to be my cunt,” Sledge said, still grinning.<
br />
“Ha, ha, very funny. Not.”
“Oh, c’mon, babe, lighten up.”
Corey huffed, and poked his lip out more. Sledge touched it softly, the split having healed up. A cheeky look flittered across Corey’s face, then he opened his mouth and sucked Sledge’s finger in. Sledge watched in fascination as it went in and out, while Corey’s tongue... He whipped his finger away when his cock started stirring.
“I’ll suck your dick way better than Stella could ever do—or any chick at that. I know what feels good.” Corey bit his bottom lip and looked down at Sledge’s crotch. “I’ll do it for you now, I’ll even swallow.”
Sledge felt his cheeks go up in flame, along with his dick. “We can’t here.”
“The curtains are closed.”
“No.”
“Then wank me off.”
“For fuck’s sake, is that all you can say?”
“I’m serious this time.”
“Like you weren’t the last time?”
“Oh, go on. Just put your hand under the covers, no one will know.”
“Wank yourself off.”
“That’s boring.”
“No, it’s not. I love wanking off.”
“Then prove it and do it for me, it’ll just be like wanking yourself—”
“Just with a way smaller dick,” Sledge sniggered.
Corey punched him. “It’s not small!”
“Says the clit to the cock.”
“Arsehole.”
“Well, you deserved it, cos I did tell ya I wouldn’t touch your dick.”
“Just try it or I won’t stop bugging you.”
“No.”
“But you’ve made me hard,” Corey whined.
“That’s not my fault.”
Corey snatched Sledge’s hand and put it on his crotch “Please. You gave me blue-balls the last time,” he said, digging his nails in when Sledge tried to pull back.
“Ow! Stoppit, you’re hurting me.”
Corey let go.
Sledge rubbed the indent marks. “You needa cut your nails.”
‘Sorry.” Corey took Sledge’s hand and brought it up to his mouth, kissing it. Sledge watched, this time not fighting him, the guy’s lips so much prettier than Stella’s. What was wrong with him? He had no problem fucking Stella—someone he didn’t love, yet he gave Corey nothing—even though the cutie turned him on big time. And wanking Corey wasn’t exactly sex, well, it was sexual, but if he put his hand under the cover he wouldn’t see himself doing it, plus Corey did have an adorable little dick... And he’d let Corey wank next to him when they watched pornos... Oh shit, he was going to do it, wasn’t he?
Behind the Tears (Behind the Lives) Page 32