On Paper Wings

by Magan Vernon

  I shook my head. “I haven’t even thought about it. We haven’t been together that long.”

  “I know,” she said and bent back down to stir the pot. “But sometimes you just know. Y’all have already been through a lot together, and it’d probably be nice for him to get out of his mama’s house. I’m sure Dee wouldn’t mind it either. Then, she could get her craft room back.”

  I put my hand to my heart in a mocking fashion. “Are you saying that I could easily be replaced with scrapbooking supplies?”

  She laughed. “I’m just saying, you should really think about it. And if y’all are looking for a place, my apartment is right by the post office. Close to work for you, and not far for him either.”

  “Hmmm. Something to think about.” I knew it would be a lost cause with Blaine. I tried never to push him too hard with his commitment issues, but the offer was definitely tempting.

  “What are you two ladies gossiping about now?”

  I jumped hearing the low drawl of Jackson’s voice.

  “We’re just swapping recipes. Same ol’ same ol’,” Dina said, not missing a bit.

  Jackson nodded his head behind Dina. “Hey, Libby, it’s your people.”

  “What?” I cocked an eyebrow and looked where he was staring.

  A group of girls in purple and gold dresses walked by, laughing and throwing back their hair. It looked like it must have taken them hours to get ready with their straightened hair or high up-dos plus the pounds of makeup they had on that matched the colors of their dresses. I wondered if they were debutantes, and there was some kind of cotillion. “Um...should I know them?” I asked.

  Blaine laughed. “Baby, those are sorority girls. Jackson is just giving you hell.”

  “Why are they so dressed up?” I asked.

  Blaine and Jackson shrugged.

  “It’s kind of a southern tradition. The girls around here dress up for the games. Half of them don’t actually make it to the game, and just look pretty for tailgating,” Dina said. “It also helps to wear a dress, because it’s hotter than Hades.”

  She was right about that one. I really should have considered wearing shorts. I thought October was fall weather, not still in the eighties. It was hot enough to melt paper.

  As another group of girls walked by us, they started clapping, singing, and smiling brightly. It was a very surreal moment to watch this group of very dressed up girls, showing more spunk than cheerleaders on game day.

  As soon as they passed, Blaine and Jackson started cracking up. “Hey, Libby, you got any chants like that you could show us?”

  I pouted and folded my arms across my chest. “What do you think I am some kind of robot that can turn that on?”

  “Come on, baby, we were just joking,” Blaine said.

  I sighed. Okay, I had to admit that it did look ridiculous. “If y’all ask nicely...”

  Blaine laughed and sat on the tailgate. “How can I turn down a woman that says ‘y’all’? Yes, Miss Libby, will you please give us a sorority cheer or whatever it’s called.”

  I smiled as Jackson and Dina sat on the tailgate with Blaine.

  “Okay, promise not to laugh too hard,” I said.

  “No promises,” Dina said.

  “Okay. Here it goes.” I let out a deep breath then clapped my hands together before putting them up in the air and shaking my hips. “Kappa Beta’s F-I-N-E FINE right down the L-I-N-E LINE and we will L-O-V-E LOVE her al the T-I-M-E TIME!”

  By this time, the guys were holding their stomachs laughing, and I couldn’t help but smile and really belt out the big finish. “Pull out the pink. Pull out the white. Kappa Beta’s are going to have some fun tonight! Gooooooo Kappa’s!”

  I did a little high kick for some extra zest, even though we’d never done that. We’d actually only done the cheer during spring recruitment and never again. I think everyone else agreed that it was pretty silly.

  “Wow, that was cute,” A disgustingly cute southern twang echoed behind me.

  Blaine and Jackson sat up straighter, clearing their throats.

  I turned around and widened my eyes when I saw the last person I expected to see: Blaine’s ex, Julie. They broke up when she went to college at Ole Miss, and I guess she was back for the game. Her, her giant boobs in a crimson dress, a gaggle of her sorority sisters, and random guys in polos.

  “Thanks, Julie,” I said, forcing the biggest smile I could.

  She crossed her arms over her chest and tossed her long brown hair over her tanned shoulders. “Think it’s funny to make fun of sorority girls?”

  I put my hand on my hip. “Um, it’s a Kappa Beta chant that we used for recruitment. I was just showing it to my boyfriend and friends.”

  The blonde next to Julie widened her eyes. “You’re a Kappa Beta?”

  “Yeah, Blaine’s always had a thing for the sorority girls, ain’t that right, Julie?” Jackson laughed.

  Julie smirked. “Well, then, hope y’all have a good time at the game, and maybe I’ll see you later, sis.”

  I stood there open-mouthed as her and her gang walked away. Between the heat beating down my neck and an encounter with Julie, I didn’t think things could get any worse.

  ***

  “Great seats, Jackson,” Blaine muttered. “Right in the fucking middle of Rebel country.”

  Not only were our seats in the Ole Miss area, but we also happened to be right behind Julie and the people she came with. Things immediately went from bad to worse.

  Julie sat next to some dude that looked like a cartoon character with his red and blue checkered suit and matching newsboy hat. Every so often, she would put her hand on his knee and glance back in our direction. Like she was trying to make us jealous that she was hanging out with a clown.

  Obviously, it was working because every time she did it, Blaine made sure to put his arm around my waist or kiss me. That is when he wasn’t yelling at something that was going on on the field.

  I thought I might be able to sit and girl talk with Dina, but she was just as boisterous as the guys, yelling at the ref and threatening harm to players.

  That just left me, and my stare off with Julie. There wasn’t enough liquid courage in the world for me to try and stand up to her again, and it would have been too hot to do it anyway. Damn the south.

  “Baby, I’m going to get something to drink. Need anything?” I touched Blaine’s shoulder.

  He stood up, yelling at some play before he finally turned to me. “No, thanks, I’m good.”

  “Okay.”

  I made my way past everyone, though it seemed like it took forever to get by the large crowd. When I finally got down to the concession area, I found myself in another sea of people, and a sea of food.

  This wasn’t just the hot dogs, hamburgers, and nachos. Oh no. I should have guessed that after seeing what people made to tailgate. There was pulled pork, po’ boys, and every other Southern food along with the hamburgers and hot dogs.

  I got away with eating a few bites while we tailgated, but taking in all the smells made it harder to resist.

  A diet soda. That’s all I need. A diet soda will curb my cravings and cool me the hell down.

  I was about to get in one of the concession stand lines, when something caught my eye. It was a simple pair of purple shorts and a white tank top. Something I wouldn’t have normally worn outside of the gym, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

  I went to the rack where the tank tops and shorts were piled. There was only one size left. Small. I was not a small girl. Sure I could fit into it but I knew it would be tight.

  “Um, excuse me.” I walked up to the older woman behind the counter.

  “Yes, honey, how can I help you?”

  “Um, do you have this tank top and shorts in another color? Or another size?” I asked, biting at my bottom lip.

  She shook her head. “Sorry, honey, what we have out is what we have left.”

  I blew out a deep breath. I didn’t wan
t to put on the small outfit, but it was better than burning up or sucking down empty calories with a coke. “Okay. I’ll take it.”

  I went in the bathroom and changed. It was definitely tighter than I thought it would be and my black bra was on full display through the tank top. I stepped out of the stall and stared at my bare midriff in the mirror, running my hand down it. I looked ridiculous.

  “Ugh,” I scoffed.

  “What’s wrong, dear?” A lady in all white with an LSU visor asked as she washed her hands next to me.

  “This looks ridiculous. I bought this outfit because it was hot out, and I wore jeans, but now I’m starting to think it was a bad idea.”

  She tsked. “Honey, this is the south. Ain’t nobody care a lick what you look like at the game as long as you aren’t stripping.”

  She patted my back with a semi-wet hand before walking out of the bathroom.

  I sighed and stared at myself again in the mirror. “Here goes nothing, I guess.”

  I walked out of the bathroom and back up to the stands. Blaine glanced at me, then did a full on once over, his eyes particularly rolling over my chest. “You changed your clothes.”

  I nodded. “Yeah. I guess I couldn’t handle the heat so I bought these and stuffed my jeans in my purse.”

  Dina laughed. “I told you!”

  I put my hands out. “I know! I know! Y’all were right. I was wrong. Happy?”

  Our conversation must have wafted down to Julie, because she full on turn around, gave me the once over, and smirked.

  I opened my mouth to say something. I didn’t know what I was going to say, but I felt the need to say something. Before I could, Blaine grabbed my face and turned me toward him, planting the biggest kiss he could on my mouth. His tongue danced behind my lips, as he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me onto his lap before breaking the kiss.

  He looked down at Julie and smiled. “See something you like, Julie? Or maybe something you’re missing?”

  She scowled and turned back toward the game, looping her arm through the suited guy next to her, who didn’t even pay attention when she tried to brush up against him.

  “That was awesome,” I whispered to Blaine.

  He nuzzled my neck. “No, what’s awesome is how good you look in that top.”

  I swatted his hand and slid back down to my seat. “Stop it!”

  “I’ll try,” he said with a grin, taking my hand and squeezing it.

  ***

  By the time the game was over, and we were able to get to the car, I was exhausted.

  Between the heat, the fact that we were parked so far away from the stadium, and had been up at the crack of dawn, I was ready for a nap.

  I laid my head on Blaine’s shoulder, and he looped his arm around my waist, guiding me to the truck as he opened the door.

  “Hey, Jax, you don’t mind if I sit in the back with Lib, do you? I think she may pass out.” Blaine asked.

  Jackson laughed. “Naw, go ahead. There’s a blanket behind the passenger seat if you need it. I’m cranking the air up. It’s got to be in the upper 90’s out. Shit it’s hot!”

  I climbed in the backseat of the truck, and Blaine followed. Luckily, Jackson didn’t have leather seats, because I’m pretty sure I would have burned my bare legs on them. Blaine sat down next to me and put his arm around me, so I leaned into him as he pulled the blanket from behind the seat and covered me with it.

  “You can lay your head in my lap if you want to,” he said, whispering into my hair.

  “Hey, no fucking in my backseat!” Jackson yelled over the roar of the air conditioner.

  “Yeah! Yeah!” Blaine yelled back.

  I laid my head on his lap, and his fingers were in my hair, brushing it away from my face. This was the Blaine I loved. The one who was gentle. The one who I knew definitely had an ulterior motive to the blanket.

  His hands slowly crept from my hair down under the blanket, until his fingers were at my hip, caressing the delicate skin just above the waistband of my shorts.

  He waited until Jackson was on the highway, and him and Dina were in deep conversation before he looked down at me, raising a questioning eyebrow as he slowly slid his fingers underneath the waistband of my shorts, his fingers running along the silk of my underwear.

  I bit my lip and gently nodded and noticed the definite bulge growing in his pants. I’d never done anything like this when other people were around, and I wasn’t exactly sure how he planned on doing anything without them noticing.

  Slowly, he tiptoed his fingers underneath my panties, gently grazing my lips. I bit down to keep from moaning and suddenly I was the opposite of tired, and ready for those fingers to keep traveling.

  He looked up toward the front, keeping his eyes focused, but his fingers moving. He brushed the pads of his fingers along my entrance delicately slowly before pressing his middle finger inside of me. I clenched around him, and I watched his jaw lock, trying to keep his face straight.

  He twirled a finger inside of me and pressed his thumb to my clit, drawing circles on it in the same direction as his other moving digit.

  I bit down hard on my lip, gently bucking my hips forward to meet his awaiting hand, and his fingers worked their magic. I’d never been so close to the breaking point from just someone’s hand. There was something about his rough hands, and my most sensitive of areas that had me seeing stars.

  “Oh, shit, speed bump!” Jackson yelled, trying to slow down the truck but it didn’t do much to stop the momentum, and the vehicle dipped over the large bump.

  This caused Blaine’s fingers to plunge farther into me, and I cried out, as we reached the bottom of the bump, my orgasm hitting the brink as I clenched around his fingers.

  Blaine smiled. “Damn, Jackson, be careful.”

  “Sorry, that came out of nowhere.”

  Blaine leaned down and whispered, “So did you.”

  He pulled his fingers slowly out of me, causing another shockwave of pleasure to ripple through my stomach. By the time I was able to breathe normally again, I looked up front and Jackson and Dina had kept talking and were none the wiser to what had just happened.

  When we finally got to Aunt Dee’s, I had to adjust my shorts and make sure I didn’t have a big wet spot. Blaine grinned, noticing what I was doing and helped me out of the truck. He slipped his arm around my waist as he walked me to the front door.

  “So...it’s late, but am I going to see you later?” he asked, raising his eyebrows expectantly.

  “Maybe...” I smiled, stepping backward onto the front porch.

  He stood in front of me and slid his hands down, interlocking our fingers. “I hope you weren’t pissed at me at the game, or for what happened in the car.”

  I laughed. “I think I’m the opposite of mad on both of those accounts. It’s good to know that my boyfriend appreciates me, even if it is because he’s showing off in front of his ex-girlfriend. Or, because we’re in the backseat of a truck.”

  He laughed and leaned in, his breath tickling my lips. “You may be a Yankee, and you may be a little unpredictable, but I still love everything about you.”

  I smiled. “I guess I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  “You’d better, because it’s meant to be.” He lightly kissed my lips. “See you later?” He raised his eyebrows.

  I kissed him again. “Yes. Definitely later.”

  Chapter 10

  Last year at Halloween, I spent the time passed out in my ex-boyfriend’s bed at his fraternity house, because he thought it would be hilarious to give the freshman a bottle of Jack and have her chug it.

  Well, I passed out after I puked it all up.

  Needless to say, I’d never had Jack again after that night and wasn’t planning on getting wasted this Halloween, especially when I had cotillion practice with Brittany the next day.

  “Y’all won’t be out too late, will ya?” Aunt Dee asked.

  She stood in the open doorway of the bathroom
while I double checked my lip gloss. My ex refused to do a couples costume, but somehow I convinced Blaine that we should go as the tooth fairy and a dentist. I’d lost enough weight that I could comfortably fit in a pink dress I had from recruitment, and Aunt Dee added some white tulle to the bottom as well as made some wings with crafting feathers.

  I shook my head, fluffing my hair. “We won’t be out late at all. I’m not going to let Britt drag for practice tomorrow.” I smiled.

  “You know we could just skip practice. I’m sure a lot of other people are.” Britt poked her head around the corner.

  “Now, Brittany, you’ve been trying to get out of practice every week. I know it’s not your favorite thing in the world, but it would make your mother so happy to see you be a debutante.”

  Britt grumbled, running her hands through her gelled pixie cut. She didn’t even bother getting dressed up and wore a large black shirt with the words “SWAT” across it and some black pants. It looked more like her normal wear than anything.

  “I’ll make sure she goes, Aunt Dee. Don’t worry. It’s the reason I’m driving instead of Blaine picking us up.” It would also give me a good excuse not to drink. Not that anyone would pressure me into it, but that’s how it always seemed to get at parties. It didn’t matter my age, or what excuses I had unless it was driving.

  Aunt Dee sighed. “Okay. Y’all be careful now, ya here?”

  I nodded and grabbed the tooth shaped purse that she made. “We will.”

  Britt and I headed out the door, and I waited until we were in the car and pulling away from the house before I spoke. “So why don’t you really want to go to cotillion practice? I know it’s not just because you don’t like the girly stuff. There’s another reason.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest and stared out the window. “Nothing. I’m just not one of those glitzy debutantes. It’s not my thing.”

  “Or is it because Sarah’s been nothing but a bitch to you and hasn’t called, texted, or invited you over at all this year?”

  Britt winced. I’d definitely hit the nail on the head.

  “Is it still because she’s dating that guy? If it is, that’s not the kind of friend you want around. People that treat you like shit just to feel better about themselves are not real friends.”