Egotistical Player: A Hero Club Novel

by Bella Emy

  I shake my head. Dad’s car is an old 1985 Chevy Lumina. He loves that POS, but it is so ancient. Since he is the best mechanic around, he doesn’t feel there is anything he can’t fix. So instead of buying a new car, he fixes up the cars he’s owned and runs them to the ground. This one is no different. Cory and I joke all the time that the car is on its last leg. I can’t see it lasting much longer.

  “Yeah, I know what you me—”

  Once more, Cory’s phone starts to ring. Must be Mom again, forgetting to tell Cory something.

  “Hey, dude,” Cory says instead and looks at me with a smile.

  Oh, fuck. It’s Preston.

  My heart races. Just the thought of him is enough to make me go crazy.

  Cory nods. “Oh, yeah. No problem. I’ll bring it in tomorrow. Yup, you got it. See you then. Later.” He hangs up, then looks at me.

  “That was Pres.”

  “Oh?” I ask as if it doesn’t faze me.

  He laughs, obviously knowing I’m interested. There’s no fooling my brother. We may as well be twins and not two years apart. He knows me too well.

  “Yup. Before we went to play ball outside, he took off the shirt he was wearing all day in school and changed into a T-shirt. He didn’t want to ruin his nice one. As it turns out, he forgot to grab it before he left.”

  “I see.” I want that shirt so badly. Hell, I’d even love his sweaty one.

  “Yeah, so it probably has the scent of his cologne on it… I told him I’d bring it to him tomorrow. It’ll just be lying around in my room until then.”

  I smile from ear to ear. That shirt is so mine for the night. I could kiss my brother right now.

  I fake a yawn. “Well, it’s getting awfully late. I think I’m going to head to bed,” I say.

  “It’s only eight fifteen.” Cory laughs, and I know he knows exactly what I’m doing.

  I jump off the couch and wrap my arms around my brother in an embrace. “Thank you, Cory.”

  He chuckles. “Figured you’d like that.”

  “I love it!” I shout from the hallway, heading for his room to snatch Preston’s shirt.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Preston

  I plop onto my bed and toss my football in the air, then catch it. I can’t get Cory’s sister, Harleigh, out of my mind. Yeah, I spend a lot of time over there because he is my best friend, but fuck. She’s so cute in that girl-next-door type of way. Still, I know I need to keep my distance.

  It’s not like I have girl problems… quite the opposite, actually. I know the girls in school find me attractive, but I never get too close to anyone. I know part of the reason is because none of them are really what I’m looking for, but the other part…

  Harleigh Davis.

  My best friend’s, Cory’s, little sister.

  I know she’s got a thing for me, and quite frankly, I find her highly attractive too. But she’s Cor’s little sister.

  Huh, little. Yeah, sure. I keep telling myself she’s still the clumsy little girl with pigtails playing dolls in the corner while her brother and I watch the game on TV. That was so long ago.

  Now, the girl is curvy and filled in all the right places. I’d love to run my hands all over her… Shit, I need to stop my thoughts right here and now, before my brain starts wandering when it shouldn’t. Not about Harleigh, anyway. This isn’t right.

  I can’t cross the line and put the moves on my best friend’s little sister. What if something were to happen? Fuck. Does Cor even know how lucky he is to have a sister in his life? He’s so fortunate he’s got her. What I would do to have my own little sister back… It wasn’t fair what happened.

  Still, Harleigh is so hot. I can definitely see myself spending some time with her and—

  I shake the thoughts from my head and push off the bed. After ambling to my desk, I take a seat in the chair and turn on my computer. I log into Facebook, and a ton of messages instantly load up from my friends from school.

  And of course, there are a shitton of messages and notifications from girls who want my attention.

  I’m a seventeen-year-old senior in high school. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t interested in all the attention I get. And because I know I can’t have Harleigh, I date other girls. Nothing ever goes past a few dates. I don’t lead anyone on, and I don’t go steady with anyone. I’m not purposely trying to break anyone’s heart just because I can. I’m not an asshole. Some girls, of course, want more than a few dates, but I always make it clear that I’m not looking to be in a relationship. I’m a gentleman, and I respect women. I can’t help it if my heart isn’t in it the way they want it to be.

  I was raised to be a good man and to treat women with respect. If once I tell them I’m not looking for anything serious they still want to go to the next step, then fine. It’s their choice. But I would never purposely lead anyone on or make them believe we’re a couple in order to get laid. It’s not my style.

  Dating or hanging out with girls has been less and less of my focus these days. I’m just not feeling it anymore. There used to be nights when I’d sneak in after two in the morning from being with a girl all the time. Lately, I haven’t had any desire to.

  I’ve been spending my free time playing ball with Cory or hanging out in the garage. I absolutely love football and cars. If I can have a career in either one day, I’ll be the happiest man alive. Cory’s pops so happens to own a mechanic shop. I do a lot of volunteering there. Something about restoring cars and making them come together really excites me. The roar of a nice engine? Fuck, I love it. The sound is so sexy. Maybe one day I’ll own my own shop like he does.

  “Pres, guess the fuck what!” Joshua roars more than asks, barging into the room without even knocking. This is what happens when you have to share your room with your sibling. I still think he should have knocked first. It’s common courtesy.

  “What?” I answer nonchalantly, not bothering to turn away from the screen to face him.

  “Dude, you don’t understand how sick this is! I just scored us four tickets to the Silent Ambiance concert this Friday… BAM!” he shouts.

  I turn around and see him waving four tickets in the air to the Silent Ambiance concert.

  Don’t let the name fool you. Silent Ambiance is the name of the most popular rock band out there. How the hell he got tickets is beyond me. I’ve been wanting to go to that concert since they announced it.

  “No way,” I say. My eyebrows hit my hairline. Holy shit. The fucker really did get tickets to their show. Last minute? But how?

  He pulls them down and smirks. “Fucking yes way. Think you can find yourself a date for that, or you gonna bring your lover, Cory?”

  Now I’m the one smirking. “Funny. How the hell did you manage those? Tickets have been sold out for over two months.”

  Josh raises an eyebrow. “I’ve got skills. I’m going to ask Courtney to come.” He tries to hide a smile.

  “She’s going to flip. She loves that band,” I reply. Courtney has been Josh’s best friend since they were kids. Personally, I don’t know why they’ve never hooked up. They’d be the perfect couple. That and the fact he’s been in love with her since they first met…

  “Yeah, she loves them,” he says but quickly takes the focus off of his main love interest. “You have someone in mind you want to bring? Any new girls you into?”

  Harleigh. But that’s not new. Still, no one knows—not even Josh, and definitely not Cory. I could never tell him I had a thing for his little sister.

  I shrug. “I’ll probably see if Cory wants to come. He would kill me if I took a girl instead of him to see the band he loves.”

  He nods. “Cool, cool. It’s going to be epic.”

  Hell yeah, it’s going to be epic. The last concert they had made headlines. Apparently, the speakers managed to blow out and the lights went out in the whole town. All I remember is a bunch of fireworks and other special effects causing chaos. It was awesome. I was so pissed I only got to see part of
it on TV until the power blew.

  “I can’t wait,” Josh says, placing the tickets into his wallet. He puts it on top of his dresser where he always does and then pulls off his T-shirt. “I’m gonna take a shower.” He walks into our shared bathroom and closes the door behind him.

  My lips curl into a smile as I pick up my phone and hit Cory’s number. He’s going to fucking shit himself when he hears about the tickets. And yet, something feels… empty.

  It’s great about the concert. I would never have imagined I’d be lucky enough to get tickets, but still. I know what’s missing.

  What I want more than anything would be to have my arm around Harleigh’s shoulder as we watch the most epic rock band out there together.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Harleigh

  “So you slept with it all night?” Aubrey stares at me through thick eyelashes across the lunchroom table, then sips on her drink.

  I shrug. “It smelled really good.”

  Her eyes do somersaults and she chuckles. “Girl, you’re hopeless.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Anyway, did I tell you my cousin, Luis, is coming to stay with us for a few days? He’s a year older than us, and I figured I could introduce you to him. Maybe the two of you…”

  Her voice trails off, but my eyes catch hold of the gorgeous man across the room walking alongside my brother. He’s fucking gorgeous in his varsity jacket and denim blue jeans.

  Preston doesn’t notice me, but he’s joking about something with Cory as they take their lunch trays to the senior table. They’re surrounded by a group of their friends. What I would give to sit there.

  “So is that a yes?” I hear Aubrey asking, finally bringing my gaze back to her.

  “Yes?” I answer, wondering what the hell I agreed to. God, I hope she doesn’t realize I had totally spaced and not heard a word she said.

  “Oh, yeah? Good. At least someone is excited about aliens landing in my front yard!” She throws her hands up in the air, obviously pissed at me for, once again, failing to be a good friend. I need to start being a better listener.

  I frown. “I’m sorry, Aub. I was just… oh, you know… I’m a fuck-up. I’m sorry.”

  She chuckles and rolls her eyes. “I already know. Senior table.”

  Damn, am I that predictable?

  I shrug. “I don’t know what it is. Like, I really dislike him. I never liked anyone who was so full of themselves, but then again, I’m so into him… Like I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. What the hell is wrong with me?”

  She shakes her head. “Nothing. You just like him… along with the majority of the female population in this school. I’m telling you, Harls, be careful. I don’t want you getting hurt.”

  I nod. “I know. I’m not doing anything though. I like him, for whatever sick reason, but I would never pursue it. Besides, it’s not like he likes me.”

  The truth stings a bit, but who am I kidding? He can have any girl he wants. Why the hell would he choose me?

  “Preston Scott is a manwhore. If you’ve got boobs, he’ll sleep with you, and you’ve got boobs.”

  I burst with laughter. “I’m not that big.”

  “You’ve got Cs. That’s nice enough for the male species.” She winks.

  I take a sip from my bottle of water and consider her words. It’s true. Guys our age don’t care. I see my cup size as average, but to them, boobs are boobs, and if a chick has the slightest hump under her shirt, she’s good enough.

  “Anyway, what I was asking you before was if you’d like to hang out with my cousin, Luis, this Friday night. He gets in from Tacoma by five, and we’re going to pick him up at the airport. Want to come with? I think the two of you would look so adorbs together.”

  I have seen pictures of Luis in the past. He’s hot with dark curly hair and a cute smile. Can I picture myself with him? No, not in that way. Friends, fine. But anything more? I can’t do it. Why the hell is she trying to set me up? To get me over my sick obsession with Preston, no doubt.

  “Only if you promise not to push us into hanging out… alone.”

  She takes a finger and crosses it over her heart. “Scout’s honor. Even though I think you two would—”

  I raise an eyebrow at her, about to tell her to forget it. She quickly gets the point.

  “Fine, I promise. No funny business.” She shrugs, rolling her eyes. One day, those things are going to roll out of her head.

  “Good. Then I’ll come along. You can finally introduce me to him since I’ve heard so much about him for as long as I’ve known you. What’s he coming down for? Doesn’t he have school?”

  She waves a dismissive hand in the air. “He does, but they’re on a different schedule than we are. Their school has off Friday and all of next week. They’re so lucky.”

  “Yeah, I wish.”

  She nods.

  “Okay, so Friday night it is. Plus, it’s not like we have a concert to go to or anything like Cor.”

  Her eyebrows almost hit her hairline. “What are you talking about? Wait, don’t tell me… your brother is going… to—no, fuck no. No way!”

  I nod my head multiple times. “Yup. Silent Ambiance. With Preston. Joshua got them tickets.”

  “Fuck! They’re so lucky! I would kill to go to one of their concerts!”

  “I know. Me too.” The both of us have been dying to see them live, but so have Cory and Preston. I’ve heard a few of their conversations, but honestly, had I not, I still would have known they’d want to go see them in concert. Who wouldn’t?

  “How the hell did he pull that off anyway?”

  Shrugging, I answer, “It’s Joshua Scott we’re talking about. He’s got some kind of magical skills or something.” I giggle, but it’s true. Josh has come through so many times in the past getting us into events we’d only dreamed about. This was the first time he was able to score Silent Ambiance tickets though.

  “Ah, true, true,” Aubrey says. “Damn, see, now there’s one Scott brother I wouldn’t mind hooking up with!”

  Josh could pretty much pass for being Preston’s twin. There are only a few small details in their facial features that differ. For one, Preston has no facial hair. He has never even grown a mustache. Joshua, on the other hand, has a very trimmed goatee. He also has blue eyes, while Preston’s are a hazel-brown hue. And they’re so dreamy. Like I will always say, he’s my modern-day James Dean.

  My… my nothing. I don’t have him. Sure is nice to dream though.

  I laugh lightly. “He’s in college.”

  Her eyes light up. “Even better.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Preston

  I’m so excited for tomorrow night, I can barely stand it. It’s hard to concentrate on this algebra homework when all I want to do is rock out to some tunes I’ll be hearing tomorrow night live with my brother and my best friend.

  It’s going to be so much fun. Maybe it’s not so bad that Harleigh is not going to be there. Fuck, she looked so cute today. She had on a white denim short skirt with a cute black top. That and the way she smiled as she was speaking to Aubrey made my desire for her grow even more.

  I had to look away. I was sitting outside of school on the steps with Cory, going over some notes from English class. I couldn’t help my stare. I had just seen her right as the bell rang for fourth period. As it just so happens, her class—biology—is right across the hall from mine, so I see her on a daily basis. Then, and again at lunchtime. We have sixth period lunch together. And even though we don’t sit at the same table, I can see her from across the lunchroom.

  I jot down an answer to question number four as Josh walks into the room and slams the door behind him. It causes me to jump.

  “What the hell?” I turn around in time to see Josh plop onto his bed. He waves a hand at me.

  “Don’t.”

  “What’s wrong, dude?”

  He lets out a long drawn-out sigh and finally sits up. He hangs his head down and runs his han
ds through his hair. Then he looks up at me with red-rimmed eyes.

  “Yo, whose ass do I need to beat?”

  He lets out a soft chuckle and shakes his head. “Nah, man. It’s nothing like that.” He lets out another deep breath.

  I get up from my seat, walk toward him, and sit to his left. My brother rarely gets upset. What the hell happened? I had just spoken to him about two hours ago, right before he was supposed to be at work. Oh, no… shit. Did he get fired?

  “Something happen at work?”

  He shakes his head. “I didn’t even make it in. As I was on my way there, I got a phone call from Courtney.”

  Uh-oh. Trouble in paradise. I want to chuckle, but I’m guessing it is not the time for jokes. “What happened?”

  “She was in tears, hysterical. She was full-out bawling over the phone and asked me to go see her… Her father was in a fatal accident at work.”

  “What! Oh my God, that’s horrible, Josh. I’m so sorry.”

  “Me too.” The defeat in his eyes is evident, and I know the reason why he was crying was not only because of Mr. Van Buren’s death but because he had to see the girl he loves so wrecked and heartbroken. It really killed him.

  “What happened?” I ask.

  “There was an explosion… Something went wrong. They’re trying to investigate now, but he was in the middle of it.” Josh takes the back of his left hand and wipes away at a tear.

  Mr. Van Buren has worked on the oil rig for as long as we can remember. Ever since we’ve known the Van Burens, he’s always been there.

  Poor Courtney. I know how close her family has always been. I can’t imagine what this is doing to them. I can’t imagine what it’s like to get news that one of your parents has been killed while at work, but then again, death is no stranger to me and my family.

  “How could I not go see her? I had to. She’s my best friend. I would do anything for her. I only left because she asked me to grab some stuff to spend the night with her.”

  “Jesus, man. I’m so sorry. I don’t even know what to say.”