by MB Mulhall
“Perhaps another time…” Judd smiled and tossed it onto his bedside table.
“I’m going to hold you to that, but for now, have a seat.” When she didn’t move, he patted the edge of the bed. “Please.” Darcy sat but was surprised when he rolled the chair over, after clearing it of dirty clothes, to sit facing her. She let go a breath of relief to realize he wasn’t going to sit next to her on his very large, very comfortable bed. Darcy didn’t think she would have been able to concentrate on the conversation if he taken a place there.
“Jazz told me.” Unsure what he was referring to, Darcy made a gesture for him to continue.
“About your theory. You know, what happened that night with Mandy and I…”
“Oh…” He leaned forward and grabbed her hands, holding them together as if she was praying.
“I don’t know why I never thought of it, but it makes perfect sense. Ever since she told me, I’ve been obsessed with finding out the truth.” He dropped his head for a moment, taking a deep breath. Darcy could tell he was working up the courage to tell her the rest of it. “I knew Libby would deny the whole thing, so I had to figure out another way to get answers. That’s where Melody comes in. She always hated Libby and Mandy’s relationship. Jealous, I guess. So I figured if anyone else was in on it, it’d be Mellie. She’s uhhh…not the freshest sandwich in the picnic basket, if you get my drift, so I thought I could…ya know…seduce it out of her.” Darcy pulled out of his grip, trying to grasp what he was saying.
“Are you saying….you slept with her for answers?!”
“No! God, no. Although… I guess maybe I insinuated we might hook up…but I wasn’t going to go through with it. I promise. I’m not that sleezy…” Judd assured her. Darcy crossed her arms over her chest.
“Did anything happen between the two of you?” Judd opened his mouth to answer but she held up a hand to stop him. “You know what? It doesn’t matter. You’re welcome to do what you want… I just... I guess I would just hope you didn’t use her like that, regardless of how evil she is.” Judd sighed and leaned back in the chair, his head bent in an awkward position, exposing the long line of his neck. Darcy had an unusual urge to reach out and caress his throat… with her tongue. Her hormones must be in overdrive! She shook her head to erase the image.
“I admit, I kissed her… just once.” He suddenly sat forward, his shoulders slightly slumped. “It was awful. Well, no, the kiss was fine. Normal. Whatever… but I felt awful after. Jazz walked in on it and that’s what she’s so mad about. She won’t accept that I’m as upset with myself as she is with me.” He stopped talking and gave Darcy a look she couldn’t quite comprehend, a cross between hurt and confusion.
“She said… She said not only was it wrong of me to use Melody like that, but that it was also cheating on you…”
“But… we’re not dating,” Darcy said weakly. Judd inched his chair closer so their knees were touching.
“But it hurt you, to see us together, right? You called me an asshole. That stung more than I expected it to.” Darcy nodded her head, admitting that it did.
“I didn’t mean to... hurt you that is. I just…” He sat back again, running his hands through his thick wavy hair. Darcy had never seen him like this; at a loss for words, upset and frustrated, looking young and vulnerable. She patted his knee. A small smile grew on his face, but it quickly disappeared.
“Did you know I’ve known Chaz since Kindergarten?” Darcy shook her head. “Before going to school, Jazz was my only friend. We hated to be apart. It’s a twin thing I guess. On the first day of school, this happy hyper little kid came up to the both of us and asked if we wanted to play. I remember Jazz and I looking at each other, both suddenly realizing that we could play with people besides each other. The three of us were pretty much inseparable after that. We went through everything together. He was the only guy friend I ever had who didn’t try to hit on my sister. When she came out, it was to both of us at the same time, because she considered us both brothers. He’s always been like a brother to me too. This thing… this shit that may or may not have happened has torn me up more than anyone realized. I tried to make people think it wasn’t a big deal, but he was my only friend, well, the only one I didn’t share a womb with. I know my tactics weren’t exactly reputable, but I was willing to deal with the guilt and name calling, if it came to that, in order to clear my name and maybe get my friend back.”
Judd looked defeated and downright sad. Darcy couldn’t help herself as she leaned forward and pulled him into a tight embrace. He rested his forehead on her shoulder and returned the hug. They remained like that for several silent minutes. She felt good to be able to comfort him in some small way. Eventually, Judd pulled away, but only enough so he could look at her. He put his hands on the tops of her thighs and spread his legs so he could scoot his chair in as close as it could get to her. With her knees butted up to the front of his chair, his hands moved off of her to rest on the edge of the bed, trapping her.
“Darcy?”
“Hmm?” His close proximity was making it difficult for her to form coherent words, so she had to resort to sounds. He raised a hand and brushed a curl off her face. A delicious shiver ran down her spine.
“Are Chaz and Mandy an item again?” That wasn’t what she expected to come out of his mouth. She sat back a little.
“I think so… or they soon will be. Why?”
“So there’s nothing going on between you and Chaz?” Darcy frowned and shook her head.
“No, we’re just frien-” Before she could finish the sentence, Judd’s mouth was hot and heavy on hers, swallowing the rest of her words. His hands were tangled in her red curls, holding her head still as he assaulted her mouth. Automatically, her own hands ran up his sides, under the thin t-shirt he was wearing. He moaned into her mouth when her hands brushed his nipples. It empowered her to move back over them, stopping to pinch them lightly. He broke the kiss off and looked into her eyes. His breath was ragged, his eyes darker than she had ever seen them. As her hands moved on their own accord, his lids fluttered shut; a look of ecstasy crossing his face. Darcy was amazed at the effect she was having on him and what it was doing to her in return.
Even though he wasn’t even touching her, she felt her pulse racing, heard her breath coming in short staccato bursts. One hand slipped out from under the shirt. She ran it down the side of his face, resting it on his neck as she bent forward. Starting at his mouth, she covered the territory from his lips, down his clenched jaw with small kisses. When she reached his neck, she ran her tongue along the base and up to his chin, stopping to occasionally nip at the skin. Moving back down slightly, she suckled gently, at first, on the salty skin. Little whimpering sounds and whispers of her name encouraged her to suck harder, hoping to brand him her own. Big hands came up and grabbed her, none too gently, around the waist. She continued her marring, arms entwined around his neck when he stood, taking her with him. Darcy maneuvered so her legs were wrapped around his waist.
Looking up, their eyes met. Some non-vocalized agreement passed through them and Judd climbed onto his bed, holding her securely. With great ease, he laid her back on the fluffy down comforter, her legs untangling themselves. He gracefully straddled them, his strong thighs holding her captive. She watched him, unabashedly, as he lifted the hem of his shirt up over his head. Her breath caught in her throat as she gazed at his perfect torso.
Reaching down, he took one of her hands and placed it on his bare chest. She could feel his heart banging wildly beneath her touch. She brought the other hand up to join in the fun. Letting the tips of her fingers lay lightly on his damp skin, she slowly dragged them downward. The tightening in her stomach began to build as she moved lower and lower. Darcy allowed her eyes to seek the prize before her hands would get there. It was very obvious that Judd was…enjoying the attention. The fabric of his jeans was pulled taunt, a hint of the brass colored zipper showing where the denim stretched the most. When she slid her finger
tips under the waistband, Judd sucked in a tortured breath, his eyes watching her every move. With her hands still clutching the waistband of his jeans, he leaned forward to kiss her passionately. As he bent down, the large pulsing bulge in his pants rubbed up against her own aching parts. Unable to stop herself, she moaned and arched her back, trying to get closer to him. He moved his hips in agonizingly slow circles as his mouth reclaimed hers. Abandoning his waist, her arms and legs wrapped around him, pulling him further down to her.
There were all sorts of warning bells going off in her head as she felt his hand fumble with the button on her jeans, but they were drown out by Judd’s raspy voice in her ear, telling her how beautiful she was, how soft her skin was, how hard she was making him. As he eased her zipper down, Darcy was brought out of her lustful haze when she noticed a face pop up behind Judd’s naked shoulder. Clearing her throat loudly, Jazz broke the magic-like trance they had been in.
Judd nearly jumped a mile before rolling off of Darcy who, with a face like a tomato, was pulling down her shirt and trying to zip up her pants.
“Jesus Jasmine, have you ever heard of knocking?” Judd demanded of his sister, the frustration plainly written on his face. His sister rolled her eyes.
“Yes brother of mine, and I did knock, several times in fact. You were obviously too…engrossed to hear it.” She looked over at Darcy, her features changing to a look of sympathy as she addressed her friend.
“I am sorry for interrupting…whatever was going on here, but Darcy, your dad is downstairs.” At the sound of his name, all sexy feelings Darcy had lingering were extinguished as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped over her head.
“My dad? What the hell would he be doing here?” Jazz grimaced before answering, her once smooth features marred with frown lines.
“There’s been an accident…”
“An accident? Oh my God! What happened? Is everyone okay?” Darcy and Judd both froze when they heard Jazz’s reason for the interruption. Judd put a hand on Darcy’s shoulder in support.
“Why don’t you come down and your dad can explain it all so we don’t have to go over it twice?” Jazz suggested, looking exhausted. Darcy nodded her head, her eyes not focusing on anything in particular as the possible scenarios played in her head. Finally she looked at the big hand on her other shoulder and followed it up to see Judd looking down at her, concerned.
“You go on down,” he said. “I’ll be right behind you.” He squeezed her shoulder before propelling her towards the door.
She hurried down the stairs and felt shock at seeing her dad there, even though she knew he’d be waiting. He looked up when he saw her flying down the stairs.
“Slow down Darcy. I don’t know what Jasmine told you, but everything’s going to be just fine.” Ignoring his advice, she continued to hurry to the front hall where he was.
“What happened Dad? How did you even know I was here?”
“Mandy had an accident during cheer practice tonight. She’s going to be fine, but she won’t be able to finish out the season. Carol is with her in the emergency room. Mandy was asking for you and said you’d be here.”
“What kind of accident?” Judd’s deep voice rang as he walked down the stairs to join them.
Darcy was relieved, although slightly saddened to see he was fully dressed and looking…calmer than when she left his bedroom. Darcy’s dad narrowed his eyes as he watched the teen coming to join them.
“Who are you?” Darcy struggled not to roll her eyes.
“Dad, this is Judd, Jazz’s twin brother.” Judd reached them and held out a hand to Darcy’s dad.
“Nice to meet you Mr. McDillion.” Her dad eyed him for a moment before reaching his own hand out to shake.
“That your bike out front, son?” Judd sent a brief, somewhat nervous, glance to Darcy. She shrugged her shoulders.
“Yes sir, it is.” Her dad frowned.
“Keep my daughter off of it, if you know what’s good for you.” Darcy’s eyes grew wide and she slid between the two men to interrupt.
“What kind of accident was it dad?” He refocused his gaze on his daughter.
“Some kind of jump thing and they missed catching her. I don’t know all the technical terms. Baskets, spotters, something.”
“How do you just miss catching someone? They do that stuff all the time,” Jazz asked, puzzled.
“I don’t know. I don’t understand any of it,” Darcy’s dad said. “Are you ready to go? I can take you over there.”
Darcy looked at her friends for approval. She was pretty much done with the brownies, Jazz could certainly finish up the little that was left to do, but they hadn’t gone over how things were going to go down tomorrow. Jazz caught her look.
“Go ahead Darcy. I’ll finish up here and then come join you.”
“What about Chaz? Does he know?” Darcy asked her dad, who shrugged his shoulders.
“I don’t know. She didn’t mention him..” Darcy looked to the twins again.
“He might still be in practice. I’ll go over and let him know what’s going on and then meet up with you guys,” Judd offered. Darcy smiled at him.
“Thank you. I know he’d be upset if he didn’t find out until tomorrow.” Jazz and Judd both nodded. Darcy frowned.
“What’s with the frown Chuckles?” Jazz asked. Darcy turned to Judd.
“Did Melody mention anything had happened during practice?”
“Not a word. I picked her up in the parking lot and she seemed to want to hurry but I just figured… ya know…” He trailed off, looking embarrassed. Darcy understood what he meant and chose not to comment on it.
“Darcy, we really should get going,” her dad interjected. She nodded her head.
“Right. Okay. I’ll see you guys in a bit?” she asked the twins. Jazz gave her a quick hug, while Judd’s lingered a little longer.
“I’ll be there as soon as I can,” he said quietly in her ear. When her dad cleared his throat loudly, she flushed and broke off the embrace before waving goodbye and following her dad out the door.
When the smell of cleaning products and medicine, with a slight hint of vomit, hit Darcy’s nose, she clamped a hand over her mouth as her stomach rolled. She hated hospitals; the smells, the sounds, the people crying, bleeding or talking crazy. Her dad, noticing her discomfort, slung an arm around her shoulder and steered her to the desk. He asked the nurse in charge where they could find Mandy and Carol. They were directed to a small room down the hall.
Darcy’s dad opened the door and entered while she stood at the threshold, looking in. Mandy was propped up in the bed, her leg in a fresh bright white cast and a bandage wrapped around her head.
“This is a little accident?” Darcy asked her dad gesturing at Mandy. “This is not a little bump on the head, she broke something!”
“Darcy come in out of the hall please,” Carol said, her voice and features screaming exhaustion. Darcy looked at the beeping machines and the hanging bag of God only knows what that was being pumped into her step-sister’s arm and shook her head.
“I’m good right here.”
“For Christ’s sake Darcy, nothing in here is going to snake out and bite you in the ass, I promise,” her dad said, exasperated. Mandy cocked her head and gave Darcy a questioning look.
“Childhood nightmare,” Darcy mumbled taking a tentative step inside the room. She slid in just far enough to be inside with her back flush against the wall. Nothing could sneak up behind her that way. She knew it was a ridiculous scenario, but her nightmares as a child were very vivid. Better safe than sorry.
“Mom, you look exhausted,” Mandy suddenly spoke up. “How about grabbing a coffee?” Carol looked her daughter in the eye before looking at her husband, who shrugged.
“I can take a hint I suppose, but if the doctor shows up and I miss him, I’m going to be very unhappy, young lady. None of us want to spend the night here.”
“Yeah, yeah mom. I’ll tell him to wait.” The a
dults left the room, promising to return soon. Mandy motioned for Darcy to come closer.
“Do I really have to?”
“Darcy, I’m sitting here with a broken leg and a bunch of stitches in my head, cut me a break please.” Darcy closed her eyes briefly before sprinting over to the chair, sitting down in record time. Mandy gave her another weird look.
“Someday, you’re going to explain this particular fear to me, but not today.” Darcy made a zipping her lip motion. “Whatever. That’s not what we need to discuss anyhow.”
“So it wasn’t an accident?” Mandy tried to raise an eyebrow and winced instead.
“I don’t think so, but unfortunately I’ve got no concrete proof.” Mandy explained how Chaz had stopped by during one of their breaks. They had chatted for a few minutes before she noticed Libby giving them the evil eye.
“I literally got chills down my spine. She’s supposed to be my best friend but if looks could kill I’d be a chalk outline on the gym floor right now.”
She went on to explain that Libby decided at the last minute that she wanted to add a basket toss to the routine. Mandy had done them before, but Libby also changed the base crew, which had made Mandy uncomfortable. All the people who were supposed to be her support net and catch her when she came down were people in Libby’s inner circle; the kind of people who’d do anything for praise from the Queen of Popularity. Sure enough when she came down, two of the three person base were “distracted” and neglected to catch her properly, which led to the painful fall breaking her leg and busting her head open.
“Did they give any explanation? Any apology?” Darcy wanted to know.
“Mellie said oops. Does that count?” Darcy felt her nails bite into her palm as she clenched her fists in anger.
“Oops? I’ll oops her right in the head, that dumb bitch.”
“I’ll settle for her having an ‘Oops I crapped my pants’ moment out there on the field tomorrow,” Mandy said with a slight grin.
“Even that’s too good for her. Can’t I rub her nose in it after she takes a dump all over the AstroTurf?” Jazz asked from the doorway. She cocked her head. Judd and a harried looking Chaz were ushered in.