I cringe.
“Shallow waters, chica. Real shallow.”
I can’t complain. I haven’t been trolling for a hookup or a boyfriend since I started college. Sure, guys have asked me out. But I only said yes to two guys. And I ended both after the second or third date. Not trying to be a bitch, I just can’t fall back into my old habits. My old self is never making an appearance ever again. Besides, once the guys figure out who I am, they either curse me out for my parents losing their families a fortune, or they start treating me like a criminal. I had one guy ask for his pen back in class. Claimed it was his favorite. I handed it over, and he snatched it away as if I were trying to keep it.
It’s just … Well … It sucks, okay? It royally freaking sucks to be labeled. And I guess this is karma getting back at me for being a total bitch to everyone on the planet until I turned nineteen. And I’ve accepted this, but it still hurts.
Michelle snaps her fingers in front of my face. “Helllllllloooo! Earth to Sarah Bells! What has you so deep in thought?”
I shrug. “Same usual crap, I guess. School and family.”
“I told you, Sarah, you aren’t your parents. Let that shit go, girl. You are you, and as long as you stick to your path, you’ll be fine. Those dumb reporters don’t keep calling you, do they?”
I nod. It’s been a year, but I don’t think it will ever end.
She pulls me into a hug. “You’ll be okay, Sarah. You’re stronger than you think. And don’t worry, everything will turn out as it should.”
“Thanks, Michelle.”
***
My shift is ending. I just want to go home, snuggle up against the couch, and watch some Supernatural.
My phone dings.
Tucker: Morning beautiful.
Me: Morning.
Tucker: Would you like to grab a coffee with me?
Me: I’m actually getting off work right now and was heading to bed.
Tucker: Oh. Well, how about a rain check. Say lunch-dinner later?
I should say yes. I should. But this will just lead to failure. Once he figures my whole story out, boom, he’ll be gone just like the rest. There was only one person who actually knew and didn’t give a shit about what my parents had done. He saw me for me, not the by-product of them. And I had to ruin it by convincing myself that I was only here temporarily—there was no reason to get attached. But I could see the things I did to get him to leave weren’t working. So I made out with a guy gunning for his spot on the baseball team, his basic archenemy, and told myself it was to save him from me hurting him. But I ended up screwing us both over, because I can’t seem to get him out of my head and he hates me.
Me: Maybe later. Sorry, I really need to stay in tonight.
Tucker: That’s cool. Call me when you wake up later.
Me: Okay.
Michelle walks over to me right as I’m punching out and says, “You look … confused. Are you okay?”
“I’m exhausted. I just want to go to bed.”
She shrugs. “Okay. But here comes Mr. Complication.”
I turn and watch as Graham walks in with some girl who has short hair and a crap-ton of piercings and tats. My heart plummets with every little detail I witness. From the way he holds her hand, to the way he lowers his lips to her ear and whispers something. My stomach instantly clenches.
Michelle grumbles next to me, “What the hell is this?”
I give her a scathing look and answer, “That would be the reason I said he doesn’t like me.”
Michelle frowns and tries to pull me into a hug, but I step away and hurry off to the parking lot. I will not let him or anyone here see me cry. Upon my exit, I accidently slam into a couple strolling through the entrance. “Sorry,” I mutter.
Some guy looks down at me and says, “No worries. You okay?”
“Fine. Sorry again.”
I start to move around but freeze the moment he shouts, “Hey, Graham, wait up.”
I think all the blood in my body instantly drains. I turn and notice the guy pull a giggling girl closer to his side as they walk over to Graham and his new lady friend.
Two can play this game.
Me: You know what? I’d love a cup of coffee.
Tucker: Oh, okay. Where are you at? I’ll come pick you up.
Me: That would be great.
I type in the address and wait only a few minutes. In fact, as I’m meeting Tucker in the parking lot at seven in the morning, Graham, his date, his friend, and the other girl with them are all walking out of the store with a bag full of what’s probably condoms. I throw my arms around Tucker as he gets out of his car and kiss his cheek. “Hi,” I giggle.
“Hey. Wow. If I knew you’d be this excited about coffee I would have asked you out sooner.”
I playfully smack his chest. “Oh, stop.”
He smiles. “Um. Okay.” He walks around his car, and I follow. I glance behind me and notice Graham has stopped walking. His stare is on me, and man, is it a deadly one. Good. That’s what you get for rejecting me and then bringing your next conquest to the place I work. Asshole.
Chapter Nine
Graham
I knew coming to her work was a mistake. Justin insisted on getting some stuff though, and he’s been pretty cool to hang with, so what was the worst that could happen? Apparently, seeing Sarah throw herself at some fuckstick.
She giggles and kisses him, and I just watch. My blood is boiling. I flex my fingers into fists and somehow gain control of myself. She’s just doing this to piss me off.
Her body pulls back a little, and I get a real good look at the dude she’s clinging to. My gut twists. Something isn’t right about this. That guy looks way too familiar. I need to let her ass go, though. I can’t get jealous and pissed off at every guy who tries to date her. She’s not mine to worry about.
Besides, I’ve got someone in the car who’s going to help me forget all about Sarah. There is something about that guy that bothers me, though. I just can’t place my finger on it. I snap a picture of him and send it to Bryce.
Me: Why do I feel like I know him?
Bryce doesn’t write back, not that I expect him to. It is Saturday and seven in the morning.
I slip into my car. Justin laughs at something and then smacks my shoulder. “You aren’t laughing, man.”
“Sorry. I wasn’t listening.”
“Dude, you’ve been acting weird ever since we walked into that store. You all right?”
“My ex works there.”
He nods. “Gotcha.”
Why would Sarah kiss me and look so hurt if she’s dating some asshat? Was she looking to cheat on him with me?
My phone pings right as I pull up to the lake. I glance down and see Bryce’s message.
Bryce: That’s Tucker Adams.
The knot in my stomach tightens. Fuck! He’s a bigger player than Madison’s brother Kyle. I should let her get played. Let her fall for all his stupid games and then—wham—have to nurse a broken heart. It would serve her right for cheating on me.
As Jasmine’s tongue rakes across my ear, my mind isn’t focused on how good it feels. Nope, it’s worried about Sarah. “I gotta go.”
Justin gives me a look like I’m out of my fucking mind. Honestly, I must be. “What do you mean?” he asks as Jasmine’s friend straddles his lap.
I unhinge Jasmine from my neck and stand up. Her lower lip sticks out, and that just makes me roll my eyes. It’s not cute. It makes her look like a baby, and I’m not hooking up with a child. I only hook up with women, so that pouty lip right there resolves my decision to cut my ties right now. “My friend needs me,” I say and make my way to my car.
Justin shrugs. “All right, man.”
Jasmine scowls. She grabs Justin’s date, whose name I’ve forgotten, and pulls her into the backseat of my car.
Justin slides into the passenger seat, and right as I’m about to start the engine, Jasmine purrs, “I hope whoever you’re ditching me for is up for st
uff like this.” I glance in the rearview mirror and watch as Jasmine makes out with her friend.
Justin smacks my chest and says, “Oh, damn!”
I shoot a glare at him and then start the engine. The chick-on-chick action is doing nothing for me. That right there, my friends, tells you how screwed I am when it comes to Sarah Morris. I’m supposed to be forgetting all about her, but instead I’m going to go out on a manhunt and look for the girl.
Jasmine says, “I hope the image of me and Alice is in your head all day.”
It won’t be. Because they both have the wrong hair color, eye color, and height to be what will be on my mind all day. But Justin whistles from the passenger seat. “It’ll be on my mind all day.”
As soon as I drop the girls and Justin off at his house, I head to every place in town that is open. Assuming they still stayed in town. Crap, if they went to Nashville, I am royally screwed.
I try to keep a positive frame of mind though and stop at all the diners. No luck. I head to the Starbucks—nope, they aren’t there either. I’m about to give up when I spot the Tick-Tock Coffee Shop.
Pulling into a parking space, I sigh. “Please be here.”
I step inside the rustic joint. Relief washes over me once I spot her red hair. But it doesn’t stay when I see her eyes dancing with amusement. As I stalk up to the table, her giggle fills the air then all of a sudden it stops. “What are you—”
“We need to talk,” I interrupt her. “Right now.”
The fucker named Tucker tries to block me from getting her out of the booth. “Whoa, buddy, we’re in the middle of a conversation. And I’m pretty sure she can make up her own mind about whether she wants to talk with you or not.”
I push his arm away. “No one gives a fuck dude,” I snap. “Sarah, this is urgent.”
She folds her arms and raises a brow. “Is it?”
“Um, yes. Very.”
Tucker stands up. “Look, man, she obviously doesn’t want to go with you, so get lost.”
“Why don’t you sit back down before I beat you back into that fucking seat?”
Sarah growls. “Oh my God. This is ridiculous. I’ll be right back. I’m so sorry.”
Her fingers wrap around my bicep, and tingles rush along my skin from head to toe. My pulse quickens, and I hate it. My body wants her, but I can’t. She screwed me over, and I won’t give her the chance to do it again.
She pulls me over to the far corner near the door and restrooms and snarls, “What is your problem?”
“You need to stay the hell away from him. Trust me on this.”
She eyes me up and laughs once. “Trust you? Are you kidding me? You tell me we should steer clear of each other. You kiss me in your room, push me away, and tell me to leave. Fine. I’m a big girl and can totally handle being rejected. What I can’t and most certainly will not handle is you parading around my place of work with your little skanky door prize.” She turns to leave, but I latch on to her wrist and tug her closer to me. “Let me go.”
“No.”
Her glare is set on me. “I don’t get this. Why are you doing this? A decent guy, who isn’t playing games with me, asks me out for freaking coffee, and you have to ruin it? Why? I didn’t stomp up to your date and start acting like a raving lunatic. Why aren’t you with her?”
“Oh, he’s playing you, all right. Do you know what he’s good for?”
She gives me a coy smile. “Sex?”
“Is that what you want? Someone to bend you over a table? Because we can arrange that.”
“That’s rich, coming from you. The same person who basically spat in my face when I threw myself at you the other day. Stay the hell out of my personal life. You’re no longer welcome near it.”
I don’t let her go even though she’s fighting to break free. I know it’s causing people to stare at us and possibly wonder if they should step in or call the cops. “What do you know about him, Sarah?”
“I don’t know much, but that’s the point of dates, right? To get to know the other person. So if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to get back to Tucker.”
I shake my head. “Don’t go back to him. Not until I tell you why you need to stay the hell away from him.”
“You’re just jealous.”
“Sarah, I’m not jealous. In a week, you’ll just be another number to him. Well, depending on how fast you give it up to him. He won’t call, probably won’t even remember your name. But you do whatever you want.”
“Good. Maybe I want that.”
I shake my head. “You know what? Go for it. He’s known for telling girls he’s sterile, by the way. When they end up pregnant, he claims they’re whores and it’s not his. One of the girls he got pregnant was Ginger Fields. You remember Ginger, right? You two hung out a lot in high school. He told Ginger he wasn’t raising some slut’s kid. Does that sound like someone who’s willing to do the whole wine-and-dine thing with anyone?”
Her eyes are wide. “Ginger? I thought she moved away.” She shakes her head. “Maybe you have him mistaken for someone else.”
“Pretty sure I don’t. His nickname from most of the females in this town is ‘Tucker the Fucker.’ Don’t believe me? Ask Madison what any girl from our school thinks about Mr. Tucker over there. In fact, he took Emily’s virginity. Want to know what he said to her?” She doesn’t respond. “He said she was just a thing to pass the time. The dude is a walking tool-bag.”
She looks back and then faces me again. “But he … ”
“Seems nice? Sure. Don’t they all?”
She glares at me. “It takes a player to know one.”
“Don’t give me that bullshit right now. I was the loyal one in our relationship.”
“Keep on opening up that wound,” Sarah growls. “If this is the only reason you came down here then I’m sorry you wasted your time. And shouldn’t you be getting back to your own date?”
“Jasmine decided to have a threesome with Justin and Alice, but none of that really matters.”
“Sarah?” Tucker calls as he walks toward us.
Her name coming from his mouth grates on my nerves. I grit my teeth. “Sarah, we need to go,” I insist.
She blinks. “Graham, I can handle this myself.”
“Look. Madison, will murder me if she finds out I let you go out with this tool. You don’t have your car here, do you?”
“No. But I can’t leave with you. Just go.” She starts to pull away and walk back to that piece of shit. But I won’t let her go back to him. I grab her wrist and yank her into my arms. She gasps and starts to say something, but I close my mouth around hers to silence her words.
“There you are,” I hear Tucker say. I smile against Sarah’s mouth. “What the fuck is going on here?” he snaps.
I believe the girl is moving on. Why don’t you do the same, fuckwad?
Sarah’s yanked away from me, but she doesn’t look happy about it. That, or she’s really pissed at me for kissing her. She narrows her eyes as her cheeks turn bright red. “This isn’t what it looks like,” she mutters.
“Oh yeah? ’Cause it looks like”—Tucker shoves my shoulder—“this asshole is here to win you back or something. What’s the matter, man? Did she tell you your dick wasn’t working for her and dumped you? You couldn’t fucking handle her being with a real man, huh? So you decided to come down here and steal her back. Is that it?” He shoves me again.
I’m already in a bad mood, and his pushing me around is making it worse. His insults shouldn’t matter. But they bring me back to high school, when Ryan said something similar. I knocked that punk out. I’m going to do the same to this jackass.
I swing a closed fist right into his jaw. He tries to take a swing at me but misses as I duck and jab him again, only this time, it hits him in the ribs. Tucker flinches, and Sarah screams, “Stop it! Oh my God, stop it, Graham!”
I should listen to her. This will get me in a lot of trouble. Tucker takes another swing at me, but this time he connec
ts with my jaw. The sting from the contact flares across the left side of my face. I hit him again. I don’t wait for him to recover and keep hitting him. “You aren’t good enough for her! That’s why I’m down here, you piece of shit!”
Nails dig into my shoulders and yank me backward. I turn to give this person a smackdown for interrupting but lower my fist as soon as I see it’s Sarah.
She’s trembling, her wide eyes staring at me. I know this look—it’s fear. She’s terrified of me. Fuck!
It’s been years since I let myself get this way. My knuckles are sore, swollen, and the skin is raw. Madison and Bryce were the only two people who knew I could explode if pushed. Usually alcohol was involved, but in this case I can’t claim it as an excuse.
“Sarah,” I whisper.
She shakes her head. “Don’t. I’m going to help him first, and then we’re going to talk. Wait outside.”
“I called the cops. Are you okay?” Some short woman with an apron on approaches us. She looks Sarah over and then eyes me up with a scowl.
Sarah nods. “I’m fine. There was no need to do that. He’s leaving.”
The woman walks away, and Sarah snaps at me, “Just go, Graham.”
So I walk out to the parking lot and wait inside my car. Fifteen minutes later, Sarah walks out of the shop and slides into the passenger seat of my car. Her lips are in a grim line. I start up the engine, and instead of heading to her house, I drive over to mine.
When we pass the exit to her neighborhood, she grumbles, “Where the hell are you taking me?”
“To my place.”
“Why? I’m only in this car so you’ll drive me home. I don’t actually want to spend any more time with you. Not after you humiliated me, ruined my date, and for what, Graham? Because we both know I’m not what you want.”
I groan. “Don’t. Right now, I’m trying to drive. I will explain everything when we get to my house. No one is there, so if you want to yell at me or punch me or whatever, you can do that without being interrupted.”
Graham (Scandalous Boys Book 2) Page 5