Play Me, I'm Yours [Library Edition]

by Madison Parker

  “And speaking of boy friends, what makes you think Donovan doesn’t like you?”

  Lucas shrugged. He didn’t want to confide in her. She was Donovan’s friend, and just because she was talking to Lucas now, that didn’t mean she’d pay him any notice once the show was over. “Just a feeling.”

  “His bark is far worse than his bite. I’m his best friend. Believe me, I know.” She put her hand on Lucas’s shoulder. “Give him a chance.”

  That sounded like something his mom would say. Maybe Trish was right. Maybe Donovan was a nice guy underneath all the snarkiness.

  “Now promise me you’ll come to the cast party,” she said. “It’ll be fun.”

  “I’ll think about it.”

  Her phone buzzed, and she smiled when she saw the text. “Speak of the devil. D’s on his way in. The theater group is up last, but if you want to stick around, I’ll introduce you.” She tapped away on her phone while she continued talking. “Give me your number, Boo.”

  Lucas had a feeling he’d just made a friend, whether he wanted to or not.

  AS HE entered the auditorium, Donovan heard the familiar voice of his best friend belting out Katy Perry lyrics. He’d heard her sing this one dozens of times, but she was now in rare form. Her overexaggerated facial expressions and flirty dance moves were sure to put a smile on the face of even the grumpiest audience member. Yeah, she was a drama queen all right. He was glad he’d arrived in time to see her performance. She’d threatened him with testicular harm if he missed it, and he was quite attached to Thing 1 and Thing 2.

  Once she finished, she took her bow, then ran over to hug Twinklefingers. Poor kid looked terrified as she squeezed him and gave him a peck on the cheek. Donovan snickered as Lucas struggled to help Trish push the piano offstage. Trish had bigger biceps than that kid.

  After a few minutes, she reappeared from behind the curtain and bounced over to where Donovan sat. Thankfully, she’d ditched her new charity case somewhere backstage.

  “So?” she said. “How was I?”

  “You were fabulous, T.” He knew she thrived on praise. But she was good, and he didn’t mind humoring her. Not after all the crazy shit she put up with from him.

  “Thanks, D!” she said, throwing her arms around him. “You always know just what to say.”

  “Eww.” He wrinkled his nose. “Lady sweat.”

  “Hey! Those spotlights are hot. My lady sweat will be worth millions one day.”

  “Yeah? Until then, wipe your face.”

  She stuck her tongue out at him as she pulled her hair up in a bun and secured it with an elastic band. “You ready for your scene?”

  “Yeah, no sweat.”

  They both laughed.

  “Hey, Trish. Hey, Donovan,” a voice called from behind them.

  Donovan turned to see Alex Goodman approaching. “Hey, yourself,” Donovan said with a flirty smile.

  “I just saw your act, Trish. You were amazing.”

  “Aww, thanks. I couldn’t have done it without Lucas, though. He deserves at least half the credit. Wasn’t he incredible?”

  Alex nodded. “He was really good too. I had no idea he could play like that. Pretty cool.”

  “Don’t be silly, T. You stole the show, and you know it,” Donovan said.

  “Yeah, you were amazing,” Alex said again, making Trish giggle. “It was cool the way you slowed the song down.”

  “Thanks. That was actually Donovan’s idea,” she said. “He helped me arrange the song.”

  “And what do you know about kissing girls?” Alex teased, giving Donovan a wink.

  Donovan tried to think of a comeback, but found himself at a loss for words as his dick began to swell with interest. This guy was sexy as hell.

  Trish laughed. “Wow, that shut him up.”

  “I can think of much better ways to shut me up,” Donovan said, raising an eyebrow at Alex.

  Alex cleared his throat. “Um… uh… I’ll see you guys tomorrow,” he said as he turned to leave.

  “See you.” In my dreams, Donovan thought.

  Alex was wearing his jersey and football pants, which afforded Donovan the luxury of viewing his firm, perfectly shaped ass as he walked down the aisle of the auditorium.

  “He was flirting with me, not you,” Trish said. “Keep your pecker in your pants.”

  “Easier said than done at the moment.”

  “Eww, TMI.”

  Donovan adjusted himself. “Shit. I’ve gotta be up on stage soon, and I’m sporting a boner. Quick, show me your tits.”

  “Ha-ha. Very funny. Maybe you should stop lusting after straight boys. You know they’ll only break your heart.”

  “How do you know he’s straight? He could be a closet case.”

  “Why do you keep doing this to yourself, D? You need to find a nice boy who won’t use you and toss you aside. Someone more like… Lucas.”

  “Now there’s a bone-kill.”

  “What’s wrong with Lucas? He’s sweet.”

  “Sweet isn’t really my cup o’teabag.”

  “Gross! You have a one-track mind, you know that? Don’t you want to meet someone special and fall in love? I really think you should give Lucas a chance.”

  “A chance to do what? Hold my hand and give me Eskimo kisses?”

  That made her laugh. “Oh, come on. I’m sure he’s not that innocent. Besides, wouldn’t it be fun to teach him all the stuff he doesn’t know?”

  “Yeah, maybe. If it was a practical demonstration. And Alex was my student volunteer.”

  “Oh God. A three-way? You’d scar Lucas for life.”

  “Don’t say three-way. My boner’s coming back.”

  Trish slapped him on the shoulder and left him to get ready for his upcoming scene.

  “ARE you coming to the show?” Lucas asked his parents during dinner that night.

  “Oh, honey, I’m sorry. You know Fridays are busy for me. If I have a cancellation, I’ll be there. I promise.”

  “That’s okay, Mom.”

  He knew she’d be there if she could. She loved hearing him play. He wished he had a real piano at home instead of his keyboard, so he could play for her properly.

  Lucas glanced over at his dad, who avoided eye contact. He wanted to ask again, to make his dad give him an answer, but his dad’s silence spoke volumes.

  “I’m not going unless they have belly dancers,” Mason said, making both his parents chuckle.

  Lucas’s phone vibrated, causing him to jump. “Sorry,” he muttered, reaching for the device. Who was calling? Or texting? Or taunting him on Facebook? He saw that it was a text from an unknown number. Mystery Boy Alex? His heart beat wildly as he stuffed the phone back in his pocket and returned his attention to his dinner.

  His family stared at him.

  “Who was it, sweetie?” his mom said.

  “I don’t know. I didn’t recognize the number.”

  “Maybe it was Alex.”

  “Mom.”

  “I think you should check.”

  “Mom, we’re in the middle of dinner.”

  “It’s okay, honey. I don’t mind. It could be important.”

  Why did she have to be so nosy? He didn’t want to look with everyone watching.

  “Go ahead,” she said.

  Lucas relented, pulling out his phone and opening the message.

  555-817-1729: hey boo. be my date for the party tomorrow?

  He let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. A grin spread across his face. Maybe he really had made a friend that day.

  “Well?” his mom said.

  “It was Trish. She wants to know if I’ll take her to the cast party tomorrow night.”

  “A girl asked you out?” Mason said, a look of disbelief on his face.

  “On a date?” his mom added, accidentally dropping her fork, which hit her plate with a loud clang.

  “Do you like this girl?” his dad added, looking baffled.

  Why was everyon
e acting so weird? Was it that hard to believe he might have a social life?

  “Yeah, we’re friends,” Lucas said. An awkward silence filled the room. Did they not approve of him going on a date? “I wasn’t planning on going.”

  “Honey, of course you should go. A party sounds like fun. It’ll give you a chance to talk to other boys your age.”

  Why was his mom so hell-bent on introducing him to boys? He nodded, hoping someone would change the subject.

  “You should text her back, sweetie. It’s not polite to keep a girl waiting.”

  Lucas: sorry for the delay. you called during dinner. awkwardest. dinner. ever.

  He hit send, and then realized he hadn’t given her an answer.

  Lucas: yes i’ll go with you :-)

  Surely, he thought, this date would be better than his last.

  Chapter Five

  Seven Minutes in Heaven

  AS THEY entered the party, arm in arm, all eyes were on them.

  “People are staring,” he whispered to Trish.

  “Of course they are, Boo. We stole the show.”

  Lucas smiled. It’d been amazing. During rehearsals, Lucas had been subdued. He was conscious of the scrutiny, the kids waiting to belittle him for the slightest peculiarity. He was careful to control his facial expressions and body movements. But during the show? During the show he let loose. He played for an audience that wanted to hear, and Lucas had too much pride in his music not to give it his all. When he played, when he really played, everything else disappeared. No fear. He and Trish together? Now that was a show.

  His family hadn’t been there to see the performance, but Trish’s parents approached him afterward and told him how talented he was. They said their daughter spoke highly of him and that they hoped to see more of him in the future. He hoped so too. He hadn’t known Trish long, but he already considered her a friend. And as anxious as he was about being at the party, he was thankful to have her on his arm.

  She was still on a performance high, greeting everyone in sight with a demonstrative smile as she pulled him along. She turned to Lucas and gave him a wink. “Let’s go find Donovan.”

  Lucas squeezed her arm.

  “Oh, don’t be nervous.”

  She led him across the room to where Donovan was talking to some people from the theater group. Like most of the kids at the party, he’d changed out of his costume. He looked stunning in his black Doc Martens, gray skinny jeans, and form-fitting V-neck. Lucas noted the Armani Exchange logo on the front of his shirt and looked down at his own outfit—red Chuck Taylors, old Levi’s, and a brown T-shirt.

  “Hey, D!” Trish said. She pushed through the small group of people surrounding Donovan.

  As Donovan bent down to give her a hug, she whispered something in his ear.

  “Lucas?” she said, turning back to him. “You know Donovan, right?”

  “Yeah. Hi.” Lucas’s voice cracked, and he cleared his throat.

  “Hi, Lucas. Good show.” Donovan lifted his wine cooler. “You want something to drink?”

  Lucas shook his head. “No, thanks. I don’t drink much.”

  “No, of course you don’t,” he said, snickering.

  Trish reached out and pinched Donovan’s nipple.

  “Bitch! That hurt.” He furrowed his brow as he rubbed his nipple with his thumb.

  “Behave,” she said. “I’m gonna go get some punch. I’ll be right back.”

  “Bring three straws,” Donovan smirked. “We’ll have ourselves a three-way beverage.”

  She reached for the other nipple, but Donovan pulled away, laughing. “Okay, okay!”

  Lucas felt his cheeks heat up. Was that supposed to be a sex joke? He didn’t know Donovan well enough to interpret what he said. He’d have to take his cues from Trish.

  She tapped his shoulder. “Lucas, you want me to get you some punch?”

  “I’ll come with you,” he said quickly. Lucas followed her to the snack table.

  “Here you go, drink up. You really need to relax, Boo.”

  “I’m okay,” he said. He sipped the punch, and his eyes widened. “There’s alcohol in this?”

  “Live a little. Just one, though. You have to drive me home later.” She grabbed his hand and started to lead him back to Donovan.

  “What do you guys usually talk about?” Lucas asked, hoping to get some ideas for conversation starters.

  “Boys, of course.” She flashed him a mischievous smile.

  Heat rushed to his cheeks.

  They returned to where Donovan and his friends were gathered, and thankfully, Trish proceeded to dominate most of the conversation. Lucas took tiny sips of punch as he listened. He didn’t like the taste, but holding the drink gave him something to do with his hands. After what felt like an eternity, the lights flickered on and off in quick succession.

  “Attention! Attention everyone! It’s time for our first party game.” Several whoops and hollers rose from the crowd as Brian Kim yelled, “Listen up! We’re playing Seven Minutes in Heaven. I’m sure you all know the rules. Ladies, if you want to play, put your name in the jar.”

  One of the football players walked around handing slips of paper to all the girls. Lucas watched Trish draw little hearts and a butterfly around her name, kiss the slip of paper, and then drop it into the collection jar.

  Donovan groaned. “This game sucks. Like I want to make out with some girl. At least with Spin the Bottle I’d have a decent chance of getting some man-on-man action.”

  Trish laughed. “You could always put your name in the jar, D. But I doubt any of the guys here would have the balls to spend seven minutes in a closet with you.”

  “Their balls should be so lucky,” he said.

  Trish turned to Lucas. “What about you, Boo?”

  “Yeah, Lucas,” Donovan said. “Are your balls brave enough to spend seven minutes in the closet with me?”

  Everyone in the group turned to look at him. He gulped. He could feel the heat in his face, and knew he was turning red. “Um… I don’t know.”

  Donovan snorted. “I’ll be back. Gotta drain the main vein.”

  Trish wrinkled her nose in distaste, then dragged Lucas away from the group of kids they’d been talking to. She lowered her voice as she spoke. “I wish you-know-who were here. I would die and go to heaven for seven minutes alone with him.”

  Zach Teagan? Lucas would too.

  Brian Kim shouted to gain everyone’s attention. “Last call. Everyone have their name in the jar? I’m going first.” He retrieved the jar from somewhere in the crowd and pulled out a name. He waited until the noise died down before reading it aloud. “Lisa Scott!”

  The crowd cheered, and Trish said, “Lucky bitch. Brian’s hot.”

  Lucas silently agreed, remembering what Brian looked like in swim shorts.

  As Lisa and Brian entered the closet, several kids crowded outside the door, trying to hear what was happening inside. Lucas heard laughter and teasing from the crowd but paid little attention to it. His mind raced. Would he be expected to play? He quickly scanned the room, looking at all the girls. Whose name might he draw? What if she refused to play with him? He’d be humiliated. What if she didn’t refuse and he had to go in the closet with her? God, that would be just as embarrassing. He’d never kissed a girl before. What if he was bad at it? Would she tell everyone? What if he went in and then chickened out?

  “Trish?” He tugged on her shirt sleeve. “How do they decide which boys are gonna play?”

  “The guy who comes out of the closet gets to pick the next guy. Then he chooses a girl’s name from the jar.”

  “Oh.”

  “What’s the matter? Are you nervous? Maybe you’ll pick me,” she said, laughing.

  Lucas’s eyes widened.

  “Don’t worry, Boo. You don’t have to play. You can pass.”

  He breathed a sigh of relief.

  “If you decide to pick a name, though, you have to follow through with it. Them’s
the rules.”

  Lucas considered hiding in the bathroom to avoid being chosen, but he was afraid he’d run into Donovan, and he didn’t want to leave Trish standing by herself. He’d have to wait. He didn’t think Brian would choose him anyway. Brian had never given him trouble before.

  “10! 9! 8! 7! 6! 5! 4! 3! 2! 1!”

  The closet door flung open and out stumbled a disheveled Brian and Lisa. They both had smiles on their faces and were wobbly on their feet. Was that because they were drunk or because they were coming off an endorphin rush?

  Brian waved his arms in an attempt to hush the crowd. “Okay, next up… my man, Alex!”

  As Lucas and Trish looked on to see who Alex would choose, Donovan returned. “What did I miss?”

  “Brian and Lisa,” Trish said, filling him in. “It’s Alex’s turn to pick.”

  “And I have to watch? Oh fate, thou art a heartless bitch. If he picks you, I’m never speaking to you again.”

  “I should be so lucky,” Trish said sarcastically.

  Donovan licked his lips. “I bet I could make that boy come twice in seven minutes.”

  Lucas drew a quick breath. No one would do that in the closet, would they?

  Across the room, Alex reached in the jar and pulled out a name. He held it under his palm, laying it flat against his chest while he waited for the crowd to settle.

  “Ladies! Ladies! Prepare yourselves.” He wiggled his eyebrows and plastered on a goofy smile. Then he looked at the name, and his face fell.

  Lucas could tell he’d picked someone he didn’t like.

  The murmurs grew louder as people looked around the room, speculating.

  Alex scanned the crowd. “Lucas?”

  The laughter was deafening. Seconds later the chanting began. “Lucy! Lucy! Lucy!”

  Lucas couldn’t move. He couldn’t breathe. His eyes stung.

  Alex spotted him in the crowd and made a beeline toward him. “Come on, big boy. I’m gonna rock your world.”

  Before Lucas could protest, Alex grabbed his wrist and tugged him forward. Lucas tried to process what was happening as Alex pulled him into the closet, maneuvering around the objects inside. He spun Lucas around so they were face to face. And then it was dark.