by Bella Emy
“Hey, Cor. What’s up—”
Again I’m cut off, but this time it’s by his hysterical crying and screaming on the phone.
“What? What! Oh my God! Oh my God!” I shout. My phone falls from my hand and hits the floor. Tears stream down my face as I scream and bang my hands on my knees, then pull at my hair.
“Harleigh!” Aubrey roars, coming closer to me and bringing me into her embrace. “Shh, it’s okay. It’s okay. I hope…” She whispers that last part, and I know she’s hoping I don’t hear her.
But it’s not okay. It’ll never be okay again. Here I was, worried about some jerk who will never give me the time of day or whom I will never be good enough for, and now, this… I can’t believe this. My heart feels like it’s shattering into a million pieces.
“No! No!” I yell through muffled tears.
Aubrey pulls an arm away and grabs my phone off the floor. “Shit, the line went dead. Fuck it, I’ll call him later. Harleigh, shh, it’ll be okay. Just tell me what’s wrong.” She hugs me tighter.
“No! It can’t be true! It can’t be true!”
Aubrey rubs my head and rocks me back and forth. “Girl, you’re scaring me. What the hell is going on?”
I take in a deep breath and try to pull myself together. Finally, I look up at her through tear-filled eyes. “M-My parents were in a… car accident. They’re gone.”
PART TWO
College
CHAPTER NINE
Preston
It’s such a rush every time I catch a flying ball and make my way at full speed, passing each yard. I dart across the field, jerking and dashing past the defensive backs.
College football has been nothing like high school. The games are beyond packed and wild. The girls fling themselves at us after each winning game, and with me on the team, we’ve had an almost impeccable record. The only game we lost was the one I had been banned from playing. I’d gotten suspended for starting a fight with the other team’s quarterback the night before the game at Chilly’s Shake Shop, the diner close by, where we spend most of our nights. Chilly’s has the best shakes, burgers, and fries. We spend most of our post-win celebrations there.
I walk out of the locker room and head outside, dressed in my jeans, boots, and fleece. The cool October breeze is welcoming, and the bright autumn-kissed leaves covering the ground are a sight to see.
“Preston!” a voice beckons from behind me.
I spin around in time to see Amber Higgins, the captain of the cheerleading squad, making her way toward me. Her long, blonde curls bounce up and down as she jogs toward me. She’s changed out of her cheerleading uniform and into a pair of blue skinny jeans, black-heeled boots, and a white Maywood Lake University hoodie. Word around campus is she wants to sleep with me, but I haven’t pursued anyone in the longest time. I’ve kept my distance, focusing on football and my studies. Still to this day, I can’t get the image of the prettiest brunette with dark eyes out of my mind since…
“Preston, hi.” She smiles, finally reaching me. She places a hand on my left arm.
“Hey, Amber. What’s going on?” I say in a casual tone. Sure, she’s hot, and most guys would give their life for a night with her, but I just can’t do it.
Her face lights up as she says, “That was a great game! Congrats on your fifth win of the season! You were amazing!”
I offer her a small smile in return. “Thanks, Amber. It wasn’t easy, but we pulled through.”
She raises an eyebrow and licks her luscious, crimson-painted lips. A manicured fingernail makes its way in between her top and bottom teeth. Then she takes the same hand and places it on her hips. “Well, you sure made it look easy, tiger.” She gives me a suggestive wink.
“Thank you” is all I reply.
“So are you meeting the rest of the team at Chilly’s?” She looks directly into my eyes through her long eyelashes. Sharp green eyes filled with lust stare back at me.
“Not this time,” I reply.
She frowns, pouting. Her lips are so full. On any typical Friday night after a winning game, I would have gladly joined my team along with most of the cheerleading squad to celebrate. The night was young, and after a quick bite, they would probably meet up somewhere—most likely a frat house—drinking into the early morning hours. Booze and babes are never lacking.
“I’m sorry, sweets. I need to go see my brother. Maybe next time, okay?”
Amber leans in closer to me; her chest pushes against mine. She’s shorter than I am, so she tilts her head upward to look at me. “Okay. The way you guys have been playing, specifically you, I know it won’t be long before another win.”
I smile down at her. Winking again, she takes her right hand and fishes into the back pocket of her skin-tight jeans for something. Moments later, she pulls out a thin, burgundy-colored pencil. I’m no expert in the makeup department, but considering the fact that it matches the shade of her lips, I’m guessing it’s her lipliner.
“Gimmie,” she demands, pulling my left hand.
I let her have it, and she writes something on it. After she’s done, she places the lip pencil back in her pocket and brings her lips to my hand. She kisses the top of it, leaving a kiss print of her lips.
I look at my hand and see she’s left her number. I had it stashed in my contacts list from when I first met her about four years ago, but we never hooked up, and I never called her.
“Call me when you get back,” she coos. She pushes up onto her tippy toes and places a kiss on my cheek. As she pulls away, she says, “I want to reward you.”
If no other rumors were true, this would be the one that was. She is so forward, it confirms every suspicion I’ve ever heard. I’m typically not one to believe everything I hear. Being in college, specifically at a four-year school, you hear a ton of shit. You can’t believe all of it.
But this one, this one thing, as she throws herself at me, practically already humping me with her large breasts, verifies everything I’ve heard about her wanting me.
“Okay,” I lie. I can’t tell her no and deny her again. I don’t want to hurt her or piss her off. She’s a beautiful girl, and like I’ve said before, any man would love to be in my shoes right now.
Amber winks, turns around, and walks off. I take a deep breath, turning in the opposite direction, and make my way toward the parking lot to find my car.
Once I have the doors locked, I pull out my cell. I scroll through my list of recent calls and pull up Joshua’s name, then hit send and wait on him to answer.
“Hey, Pres. How’d the game go?” he asks in a low voice. It’s not even late, but he sounds like he had been asleep.
“Great. We killed them twenty-five to seven.”
“Nice job, li’l bro. I bet you scored more than half of those touchdowns,” he replies, still in his quiet voice.
I chuckle softly. “You know it.” Feeling a bit skeptical about our plans, I ask, “So, am I still picking you up to go see Mom and Dad tomorrow?”
“Fuck! I totally forgot about that,” he answers, this time much louder than before.
“So I’m assuming that’s a no,” I put the call on speaker, buckle up, and pull out onto the main road. I might as well make good use of this night. It’s the weekend, and since there are no classes tomorrow, I might as well enjoy myself. Chilly’s, here I come.
“Sorry, Pres. It’s the anniversary of Courtney’s dad. I was actually keeping my voice low because the mood here today is really gloomy, as one would expect. But yeah, I’m going to be spending the night right here with her.”
Every year, no matter what is going on, Joshua dedicates his time to Courtney on the anniversary of her father’s death. He still refuses to admit how much he loves this girl.
“Oh, that’s right. I forgot that was today. I’m sorry, man.”
“Nah, it’s cool. She’s freshening up in the bathroom and then we’re going to go visit him.”
At his grave, like clockwork.
“I
’m sorry. I totally forgot about going home to visit Mom and Pops,” he says.
I stop at a red light, and once it changes to green, I make a right onto the block where Chilly’s is located.
“No worries, yo. I’ll let them know we’ll go next time. I’ll probably stop by real quick tomorrow afternoon for a bit. You know how Mom gets when we’re away for too long.”
My mother hates that both my brother and I no longer live with her. Both of us decided to dorm away from home. Granted, Josh hadn’t gone to the same university I go to, but we both chose to continue our studies close enough to home.
“Yeah, I know. Thanks, man.”
“No problem,” I answer and pull into an empty spot in the parking lot of the diner.
I look inside and see a bunch of my teammates and some of the cheerleaders huddled around a few of the booths. When I look to the left of the center table, I see Amber, who is looking even better than she did earlier tonight when she came up to me after the game. Maybe I should pursue her. She’s gorgeous, and I’m sure she would get my mind off certain things—or people… girls—or rather, a very particular girl.
“Josh, let me call you later. I’ve got to run.”
I smile at Amber. She has yet to notice me, but I’m sure once she does, she’ll be happy to know I’ve taken her up on her offer.
I hang up with Josh, and right as I’m about to kill the engine and join my friends, my phone rings. A smile from ear to ear forms on my face.
“Now there’s a call I don’t get every day,” I say before I answer it. “Cory! What’s up, man? How’ve you been?”
“Pres, hi. Is this a bad time?” By the stern tone of his voice, it sounds like something serious is up.
“Nah, it’s perfect. I’m not doing anything right now. Everything cool?”
“Yeah, yeah. Everything is cool. Look, I know it’s last minute, but do you think you can stop by? I know I’m not around the corner from you anymore, but I need to speak to you in person, please. I wouldn’t ask if it weren’t important.”
I haven’t seen Cory in months, maybe even close to a year. After graduation, he stayed in our hometown and attended the college there. He’s working in a lawyer’s office, hoping to one day become a paralegal once we graduate. We’re still boys, no doubt, but since we are no longer in the same school and our schedules are crazy, we don’t get to see each other or talk as often as we used to. But, of course, I would still give this kid the shirt off my back if he asked for it.
I look at Amber one last time. Girls are just going to have to wait.
I pull out of the parking lot and start driving, making my way toward the highway.
“You know you don’t have to ask me twice. I’m already on my way.”
CHAPTER TEN
Preston
I arrive at Cory’s about two and a half hours later. He’s still living in his parents’ house, even though they’ve been gone for so long now. The house belongs to his grandparents, but he made it quite clear that once they’re gone as well, he’s going to sell it. There are too many childhood memories that haunt him now, since his parents are no longer here.
Now I’m sitting in his living room, waiting for him to come back. He said he had to grab something upstairs in the bedroom. Sitting here, looking around, brings back so many memories. How many days had I spent here after school? How many times had we snuck in late, way after we were supposed to?
And there, on top of the fireplace, is a portrait of the one girl—now the woman—I can’t get out of my mind: Harleigh. Ever since our kiss so long ago, she’s been the one who every so often makes her way into my brain.
I’m lying. It’s definitely more than every so often. More like every single day. But it wasn’t more than just a kiss. I don’t believe she had wanted more, nor was I ready to give her anything more. Not to mention Cory would behead me. She is his little sister, and I, better than anyone else, know how much that means.
I get on my feet and walk toward the fireplace to get a better look. I reach out and grab the frame, and holy crap, she is absolutely stunning. In the picture, she’s sitting on a porch swing, which kind of looks like the one in front of her grandparents’ place. The ground is covered in a blanket of white—a holiday greeting no doubt. It’s got to be no more than two years old. Harleigh is dressed in a light pink snowsuit. Her dark curls cascade onto her face from a high ponytail. Fuck, she looks like an angel. She’s so gorgeous, still.
Did I have any doubt she would be? Of course not. It’s just now, seeing it right in front of my face, is complete confirmation. And if it’s at all possible, she’s even more gorgeous than I remember her to be.
My mouth waters.
I take a deep breath and wonder where she is now. I know she no longer lives here. She dorms about an hour away. Of course, she could have easily commuted since her school is not far, but I truly believe it was easier for her to get out of the house and try to get on with her life. I know how difficult it is to lose someone you love. She lost two on the same day.
“She was here earlier. Came back into town to go see Aubrey. I think they’re having a girls’ night out or something,” Cory says from behind me. I spin around and see him carrying two mugs. “I made us some coffee.”
I place the picture back in its spot and take one of the mugs from Cory’s hands. “Oh, thanks, man.”
He nods and motions for me to take a seat back on the couch. I make my way over and he sits across from me. “Would you believe me if I told you she’s doing an internship for the local newspaper? Says she wants to be a writer now.”
I raise my eyebrows and take a sip from the cup. The soothing hot beverage is perfect. Seeing Harleigh in that picture got my blood going; I needed something to distract me.
“Wow, I never took her for a writer, but that’s awesome.” Come to think of it, Harleigh always did have a way with words. I remember one time when we were in high school that she had entered a poem she wrote into a contest and won first place. Being a writer is the perfect career for her.
I need to change the subject and quickly. The more I think about Harleigh, the harder I’m getting. I shake the thoughts from my head. “So what’s going on, man? You wanted to talk to me about something?”
Cory looks me dead in the eyes. His expression is so serious, I’m really not sure what to expect.
“You know my pop’s shop?” He takes a sip from his own mug of coffee and then places it onto the coffee table in front of us.
I furrow my brows. “The mechanic shop? Of course. It’s been a dream of mine, since I was just a kid when your dad took me into the shop and showed me around, to own my own someday. I fell in love with cars instantly. There’s no way I could forget it. Your pops taught me a lot… everything I know about cars.”
Cory nods his head. He rises to his feet and pulls something out of his back pocket. “Good, so I know I’m making the right choice.” He reveals a few white sheets of paper.
“Huh?”
He walks toward me and hands me the papers. On it, some legal stuff is scribbled.
“What’s this?” I ask, quickly scanning it over. If it’s what I think it is, I’m not sure what to say.
Cory doesn’t respond.
I look up to meet his gaze, and his eyes are watering. “Oh, fuck,” I say.
He shakes his head, stopping me before I can stand and try to see if he’s okay. “No, no. I’m fine. Listen. My pops left me the shop. Everything is in my name. But you know cars are not my thing. I’m trying to become a lawyer, for God’s sake. The place is just sitting there, without getting any use. There isn’t anyone better for it, Pres. If you want it, it’s yours.”
My eyes widen. “Are you kidding me? Cor, your father left it to you. Are you sure this is what you want to do?”
Cory nods. “My father adored you, like you were one of his own. He loved bringing you to help out at the shop. He recognized the passion in your eyes every time you got to touch a car. It mimicked his ow
n. I never inherited that from him. I know he would be happy with me if he knew I was leaving it to you. He would be proud.”
I don’t say anything for a minute and let myself absorb Cory’s words. They make sense, of course, and he’s right. His dad did really care about me, and he did love having me there to help work on cars with him. I’m sure he would have wanted Cory to share that passion with him, but it was never his thing.
“Cor, man. I don’t know what to say. Really…”
“Just say you’ll take it. We can easily get everything changed over in your name. Preston, this is your shot to have your own shop. Say you’ll accept it.”
“Man, how can I possibly say no?”
Cory and I smile at one another, and finally, we come together in the manliest embrace. Nevertheless, we hug it out for a few before he pulls away, and I plop back down on his couch.
Suddenly, I feel like I’ve been hit with a pile of bricks. The thought of having to drive back another two and a half hours tonight is killing me. “Fuck, man… I’m tired. Looking at the GPS on my phone, it’s going to take me over an hour to go back tonight.”
“Why don’t you crash here? You know I don’t mind,” Cory replies.
“Are you sure? I don’t want to intrude.”
“Dude, are you kidding? You know you’re always welcome here.”
I think for a moment. Staying over and avoiding the traffic wouldn’t be such a bad idea. I can always leave early in the morning. “You know what? I think I’ll take you up on that offer.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Harleigh
“Harls, that guy over there is totally checking you out!” Aubrey exclaims, willing me to turn my head to see who she’s talking about.
We’re currently at Electric Moves, a dance club in our hometown, one we used to dream about getting into when we were younger. We’re taking a break from dancing, huddled around a tall table, drinking some alcoholic drink I can’t even name—because, quite frankly, I’m not much of a drinker. Whenever I do, I’m buzzed within two sips; four and I’m hitting the floor. Yeah, I can’t hold my liquor for shit, and most people can easily drink me under the table. It’s pretty sad for a college chick to admit and, quite frankly, a little embarrassing, but it’s not my thing.