Free Fall

by E. M. Moore

  When I blink my eyes open after someone maneuvers me to a sitting position, I see Cade walking away backwards. He winks and mouths, “Call me”. I roll my eyes at him and smile.

  “Don’t take too long,” I quip back.

  “Ooh, mouthy. I like it.”

  “Farmer,” Reid snaps. Then, the whole room erupts into laughter again.

  Yeah, the guys are having a ball with this. It’s just good fun though. Reid is their leader. There’s no way anyone would do anything to piss him off on purpose. That’s just not how it works here at SHH.

  20

  After the guys get dressed, all the players split up into cars in the parking lot and we head out of town. It isn’t until we’re a few miles out that I think to ask where we’re going. I just assumed we’d be going to Reid’s house since it’s his birthday, but we’re headed in the other direction.

  “One of the guys on the team, his uncle just bought a cabin out on the lake, so we’re headed there,” Cade says from the driver’s seat. Lex is sitting next to him in the passenger seat and Reid is sitting in the back with me.

  “Oh,” I say. That’s a surprise.

  “Don’t worry,” Lex says. “I grabbed your suit if you want it. You left it in the car from the other day when we went to the beach.”

  I smile at him through the rearview mirror. As I do, Reid’s phone goes off. He swears and pulls it out, sighing when he sees the name on the screen. “What?” he answers.

  Yikes. I wouldn’t want to be the person on the other end of the line.

  “We’re on our way to the cabin.” He pauses, and I hear a high, tinny voice. “No, we’re not turning around to get you. Aren’t you getting a ride with Chelle or something?”

  I look away, out the window. It’s definitely Sasha on the other end of this phone conversation.

  He hangs up after that, not even bothering to say goodbye. Lex turns his head. “You have to do something about that.”

  Even though Lex is speaking clearly, I’m not sure what he’s trying to tell Reid to do about his girlfriend. It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell these guys what she did to the area Reid roped off for us, but I don’t. I handled it. “Do something about what?” I ask. I figure if they’re going to talk about it in front of me, they can at least give me the courtesy of telling me what it is. Also, I’m nosy. Especially if it has something to do with Reid and Sasha.

  He’s so much better than her.

  I look up to him, hoping to convey what I’m thinking with my eyes, but he avoids my stare. “That’s my business, Lex.”

  Lex just shrugs and turns back around in the seat. The car is pretty quiet after that. Cade doesn’t even turn the radio on, but my heart starts beating in my ears when I feel Reid touch my hand that’s pressed against the seat. It’s just a whisper of a touch, but it doesn’t stop. I look down with my eyes, trying to avoid any sudden movements. Sure enough, Reid is pressing his pinky into mine. I swallow, the butterflies in my stomach threatening to shoot right out.

  He turns my palm over and drags his fingers across me. I sit there, motionless, definitely speechless, as he touches me. He’s flirting with me. Coming on to me even. When I do sneak a peek his way, he’s not looking at me either. He’s glancing casually out the window like playing his rough fingertips over my hand is just something he does.

  Holy shit.

  He plays with my hand the whole way to this cabin on the lake, which, by the way, isn’t a cabin at all. It’s freaking humongous with several bedrooms, a game room, copious living areas, and a huge dock out the back that leads right out onto the lake. When we get there, people are already inside partying. The guy at the door is taking five-dollar bills, so he can get the place cleaned after we leave. That’s actually a great idea.

  I pull out my wallet to pay, but Reid puts his hand over mine, grabs a twenty out of his own wallet and pays for all of us as we walk in even though the guy tries to tell him he doesn’t have to pay. Disregarding the guy’s objections, Reid puts the twenty in his hand and doesn’t look back. We follow after him as he heads straight for the kitchen for a beer. It’s late afternoon now, and the sun is hanging low in the sky. The back room is all windows with sliding glass doors, so it’s easy to see the beautiful horizon with its orange and pink hues. It’s going to be a spectacular sunset out tonight. I really wish Jules had wanted to come. She was so confident and had fun at the dance, but maybe that alongside the game just took it out of her. In a way, I can’t blame her. A month ago, I would’ve pitched a fit if the guys told me they wanted me to come to this. I would’ve done everything I could to get out of it, including wearing the rattiest clothes I own.

  They saw through that shit though.

  The party is really fun for about forty-five minutes while we play beer pong out on the back deck. I’m actually pretty good at it which shocks the shit out of the guys. In a way, I get better the more I drink. I think it’s because my inhibitions are crumbling. I’m not wondering what other people are thinking of me, which I tend to do a lot even though I act like I don’t. However, the party starts to get shitty for me as soon as Sasha shows up. She marches right up to Reid and chastises him about not giving her a ride. He ignores her as we play. Right now, we’re on opposite teams, and with the way we’re both being super competitive about it, you would think there’s something else at stake.

  “Jeez, lay off him,” Cade says. “It’s the guy’s birthday.”

  “I know,” she snaps. “And I had something planned I don’t want him to miss.”

  I take a huge gulp of my beer after that. She hasn’t even acknowledged my existence, which is fine by me. If she kept ignoring me, that would be fantastic. In fact, if she let Reid go, that would be even better.

  Eventually, when Reid ignores her enough, she grabs her friend Chelle’s hand and announces that they’re going to go get drunk, so that they can pull off what she has planned later. Lex lifts his eyebrows after they’re gone. “What exactly does she have planned?”

  “Fuck if I know,” Reid says.

  His gaze meets mine. There are sparks there. Definitely. He makes my lower stomach heat. I know he’s with Sasha. Technically. I guess there’s no technically about it when a couple is boyfriend and girlfriend, but what about the fact that they are two people who shouldn’t be together? What about if I think the guy who has a girlfriend wants to be with me?

  I line up my shot, take it, and drop it in the front cup. I throw my hands in the air. “Winner, bitches.”

  I’m teamed up with another guy from the team. He and I slap hands as we watch Cade and Reid down the rest of the cups left over.

  “We brought a ringer to the fucking party and didn’t even know it,” Cade says grudgingly.

  “I guess I am pretty good.” My face lights up with fake enthusiasm. “Who knew sports were my thing? Maybe I should play football.”

  The guys all stare at me, wide eyed. “Bad idea, Shortie,” Cade says. “You’re too…petite.”

  I scoff at him. “You didn’t hear about the girl a few towns over who helped the all-boys basketball team win state?”

  Lex smirks. “Quintessa Dale? Who didn’t hear about that? It was all over the fucking news.”

  “Not gonna lie, I’d tap that,” Cade says.

  The guy next to me laughs. “Are you kidding me, the whole team is probably already tapping that.”

  I narrow my gaze at him, and he lifts his hands in surrender. I have no idea who the girl’s dating, or if she’s dating at all, but just because she’s on the team with a bunch of guys doesn’t mean she’s fucking all of them. How misogynistic.

  Though if she were, more power to her.

  “Keep it up,” Lex says. “Briar won’t want to be your partner and you’re shit without her.”

  Their teammate playfully gets down on his hands and knees and steeples his hands in front of him. “Forgive me?”

  “Get your ass off the floor,” Reid says, voice strained.

  The guy gets
to his feet, chuckling. Cade downs the last cup, and then Reid sits one out so Lex can join in. I try to tell them I’ll bow out of this one, but they insist I keep playing. I’m a little worse this game because I feel Reid’s eyes on me the entire time. He doesn’t let up. It makes me nervous with the way he watches without words. I want to know what he’s thinking. Why he flirted with me in the car, why he punched Lex in the school classroom that day. All these things should be obvious, but I want them to be spelled out for me. He’s a hard read. Especially since he has a girlfriend, and as much as I hate Sasha, I’m not going beyond those boundaries.

  While we continue to play, Sasha comes over with Chelle and a few other friends in tow. “Are you ready for your birthday present?” she asks. She’s standing in front of him in a rose gold silk bathrobe. I lift my eyebrows at her over the brim of my cup as I take another drink. Something tells me I’m going to need a lot of alcohol to get through this night.

  Reid’s gaze rakes up and down her. “What are you doing?” he growls under his breath.

  She smiles wide then spins to address everyone on the deck. “Attention, everyone. In case you didn’t know it, it’s our quarterback’s birthday today!”

  The crowd that’s outside starts cheering, and a few people begin to gather around. It’s my turn to shoot, but I can’t tear my eyes off of what’s going on.

  “Are you ready, baby?” she asks. “Here’s your birthday present. Boys,” she says, nodding to two guys. The two guys, linebackers on the team, I think, take the ends of the bench Reid is sitting on and turn it toward her.

  He’s scowling. I can tell he hates this. His face is growing red, crimson splotches creeping up his neck, escalating even moreso as Chelle starts playing a song from her phone. The first few beats of the music play and on a bass drop, Sasha drops her robe.

  My mouth drops to the fucking deck. She’s dressed in a thong and a skimpy, sequined bra top with SHH colors. She walks toward him with what’s supposed to be a sexy walk in her high heels. She dances up close to him, practically shoving her tits into his face before she saunters off, climbs up on the nearby pool table and drops her ass practically to the ground like there’s a stripper pole in front of her.

  Guys cat call her. I see a few girls roll their eyes, but her little bitch crew is smiling and clapping to the music. They probably all choreographed this. Even though my eyes wander there, they go right back to Reid. He’s glaring at Sasha like I’ve never seen him do before. He’s fuming, and every time a guy calls out something, I see his hands clench to fists.

  Eventually, he gets up and walks away, completely averting his eyes from the scene before him. Sasha’s mouth drops as she undulates on top of the pool table. She stands up. “Reid?!”

  He walks inside the house. Lex appears next to me and lowers his voice even though no one is paying attention to us. “This isn’t going to be pretty.”

  Sasha jumps down from the pool table and almost turns an ankle on her super high high heels. Chelle struggles with the phone, trying to turn the sexy music off. Cade and Lex take off after them, so of course I follow. It seems like everyone else does too. “Reid Parker!” Sasha snaps. “Stop!”

  Reid turns suddenly, and she runs right into him.

  She sputters at the angry glint in his eye. “What are you doing? I’m giving you your birthday present. That was rude,” she says, finally realizing there’s a crowd of people around them now.

  “A strip tease?” he seethes. He steps away from her. “That wasn’t for me. That was for you because you just love being the center of attention. You love having every guy in here want to fuck you. Well, congratulations, they can fuck you because I won’t anymore.”

  Her head snaps back like he’s punched her. A few of the onlookers gasp, but everyone is straight up gawking at what’s going on. “You don’t mean that.”

  He shakes his head. “I should’ve done this a long time ago. You’re selfish, self-centered, and you think I don’t know you fucked that guy at that party right after Brady died last year. I know. I’ve known this entire time.”

  “Oh, shit,” someone says.

  I have to agree. Holy shit.

  Sasha looks around, noticing the crowd that’s gathered are now scowling at her. Even though there are tears in her eyes, she sticks her chin in the air. “You’re just weak. I only fucked him because you couldn’t get it up.”

  “My fucking best friend just died!”

  An uneasiness starts in my chest. I stare at Reid. I feel terrible for him. I knew Sasha didn’t give a fuck about me when it came to Brady’s death, but I thought for sure she was somewhat remorseful for Reid’s sake.

  I move forward because Reid looks like he’s going to lose it. Cade and Lex flank me like we’re running a football play. I place my hand on his chest. “Hey.” His eyes burn into me, and his face softens.

  I see Reid’s growing reaction before I feel or hear anything. “You bitch,” Sasha snarls. She grabs my hair and yanks my head back. Cade and Lex are right there, freeing me, but it doesn’t help Sasha from spewing her hate. “Are you fucking her? You have a lot of nerve, talking shit about me fucking someone when you’re fucking your best friend’s sister.”

  I spin around after they free me, but Reid maneuvers between us, blocking me. “I’m not fucking her, but I want to be. You want power and prestige, and money and makeup, but you’re missing the point of life. You should want to help people and be brave and not use your fucking body or your family to get whatever the fuck you want.”

  “You’re nothing,” she seethes. “She’s fucking nothing.” She shakes her head. The tears, which were probably fake anyway, are already dry on her face. Replaced there is a mask of fury that just makes her that much uglier. “You’ll see, Reid. I hope you know what you’re doing. Actually,” she laughs. “I don’t. I hope you go fucking down.” She leans around him to glare at me. “And I think you’ll find Briar isn’t the perfect person you think she is.”

  He shifts to move in front of her again. “I know exactly what I’m doing. Leave us alone. If it wasn’t clear before, we’re done. Don’t call me anymore. I mean it this time. Don’t blow up my phone like you usually do after I try to break up with you.”

  She lets out a scream of rage and lunges at him, but Cade and Lex have her under control. The guy who was at the door collecting five-dollar bills comes up behind them. “Okay, enough.” He throws Sasha over his shoulder and starts to carry her almost naked ass toward the front door. “Here’s my birthday present to you, Cap,” he says, calling out over his shoulder.

  There’s a smattering of applause, but mostly people are still in shock that the king and queen of SHH just had a very public meltdown. This is going to be all over the place on Monday.

  Reid storms outside. I try to follow him, but Lex and Cade hold me back. “Just give him a minute,” Lex explains. “He needs to blow off some steam.”

  I look into his eyes. When he meets my stare, there’s a resignation there I haven’t seen before. My lips thin. Maybe he even knew it before I did. I don’t know.

  21

  The celebratory party starts back up quickly after the show is over. My partner wants to keep playing beer pong, but I escape as soon as Lex and Cade turn their back. I know they say to give Reid some time, but I feel like he needs someone right now even if he thinks he doesn’t.

  Plus, I’m being a little selfish too. I feel like I was definitely a part of their breakup somehow, which means Reid owes me some answers finally.

  I walk outside, past the firepit and immediately spot him at the end of the dock. He would be hard to miss anywhere, but with the sun setting behind him, he’s lit up like a halo of light with his hands in his pockets, staring out at the water.

  He hears my footsteps as I approach. His back stiffens at the intrusion. Then, he says, “I’m not in the fucking mood.”

  “I know,” I say.

  He tenses even more then, twisting his head to look over his shoulder at me. I
have to bite my lip because of how perfect he looks right now. Cut muscles, tailored waist, and angular face to die for. I must have been ultra-oblivious when Brady was alive. How could all three of my brother’s best friends be this hot and it just never occurred to me to crush on them? He glares at me. “It’s not a good idea for you to be out here right now. Around me.”

  I step closer, disregarding his warning. A muscle ticks in his jaw. “Why’s that, Superstar?”

  “I just told the whole party I want to fuck you, and you still have to ask me that question?”

  A fierce longing strangles me. This is more than before. A lot more than what I felt with Lex, and the things that happened previously with Reid? This feeling makes those seem like a tease, a precursor to this overwhelming heat enveloping me right now. “I don’t have a lot of practice, but I think we have to start somewhere first before we just jump into fucking.”

  His eyebrow cocks, questioning me like I’ve just laid down a challenge. “Not necessarily.”

  “I lied to you once.” I’m side by side with him now. He tilts his head at me. “I haven’t actually had sex before.”

  He smirks. “No shit, Briar. You weren’t fooling anyone with that.”

  I narrow my eyes at him. I don’t know why I’m getting mad, I’m actually a really terrible liar. Plus, I’d forgotten that these guys pretty much know everything about me. They would know if I’d had sex, unless of course, I did it while I’d been a runaway. They have no idea what happened in those days of my life. They’re just for me. “I probably could’ve fooled someone,” I insist. “Peter Phillips maybe.”